Press Gang

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PATRICK Spilling is aboard thought.

Atlantic Pacific the ocean. dispatch on quality of our We reprint extracts from his ships. Quite pleased with it.

Monday. Woke up to metal but still had hearts of sound of gunfire. Donned oak! Pointed out no other flak jacket and anti-flash navy in the world could mask and raced on deck. match it. Got in good pun Scoured horizon for sinking by referring to Argentine ships. Found only Royal fleet as "jerry built'. Good Marines in deck quoits con- idea to play on anti-German test with Para Regiment. feeling to bolster war effort.

By god, these boys are 3000 word diatribe from finely tuned fighting deputy news editor. Said machines. Argentine fleet built by Today had press confer- Britain and crew trained ence with Admiral of Fleet. by Britain. Said | was Told us there were 100 VCs cretin. I can't see why. to be won and a dozen Surely we loosened a few George Crosses for the press. rivets before we sold our I asked what posthumously ships. Anyway, they are meant. Told it was a way of left hand drive.

Tuesday. Sent home first ment. Too sensitive, these dispatch. Explained what we Krauts.

always stood up to dictators, had already blockaded Falkalways will, etc. Said when lands. Felt proud and cheerwe had finished off Araent- od s Can't coo tham vat generation. OF YOUR GENERATION! uncensored fleet diary. spirit. Everyone laughed. British fleet somewhere in Two shot, three wounded. saying you had a lot of boys are feeling. Britain has ina, we'd finish off other dictators in South America. Reeled off a long list.

Disappointed to receive 2000 word reprimand from Foreign Desk. Said El SalvaChile not dictatorship. Would have held elections, but elections discredited by Allende and the reds. War reporting not as easy as Wednesday. Filed new Said ships were made of Distressed later to find West Germany sent note of protest to British governWe were told today we CU. 366 «all yet, though. Was reprimanded by junior officer for throwing plastic sweet wrapper over side. Apparently could get stuck in propellor and ruin whole operation. Made to run round the deck.

Thursday. Thought struck me today about preparing nation for war. Should implement nuclear contingency plans in Falklands. Hand all power to

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Socialist Organiser no.79 April 15, 1982. Page 4 POLITICAL SIA:*

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dor wasn't dictatorship be- cause they'd held elections.