Page 220 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

208 Records of Bahrain

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an Advisoxy Counoil rather than to bo foroed later to give a

major oonoession in the ehapo of an iSxeoutive one. That a wise
Ruler knew when to give way aa well aa when to stand firm, and
Rulers who wore not ao wioe, and who rofuaod to give any oonooa-
oions at all, had eventually to give far more oonoeaeiona than

they otherwise would have had to.
It may bo argued that the Shaikh and hie Family would
have the foreoight to inotitute auoh a Oounoil at the appropriate
time - ohould this beoome neoeoaary - without any move on our
part* This would naturally be the best solution, but I see

little prospect of the Al Khalifah exercising this foresight
without our intervention* Of course they might not take our
advice, but I think that it would have considerable influence

with them, even if unpalatable.
Belgrave and Weightman point out that even our advioe,
i.e. not "pressure", to institute a Oounoil would considerably
disgruntle the shaikh and his Family* 1 agree, and there is
no doubt that the present autocratic rule by the Shaikh and his
Family, who are extremely friendly towards us, suits us very

well. There is no question therefore of giving our advioe
before it is needed, the more so as the Bahrain Administration
iB a reasonably good one. But there may oome a time, and in

the not very distant future, when if agitation increases and
widens we Bhall have to give this advioe in our interests as
well as those of Bahrain* We are not the Paramount* Power in

relation to Bahrain, and have therefore no legal responsibility
for its internal affairs as between the Ruler and his people,
but at the same time sinoe we preolude any other influenoe in

that State other than our own we have a certain general res­
ponsibility which it is difficult to evade, and whioh in the
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