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of Belgrave and his work in Bahrain, saying he had no expertise in administrative

work. He also harshly criticised Belgrave, saying that the Adviser had done nothing

to improve the country for over three decades. Additionally, Al-Shamlan regarded

Belgrave as too old and that he had concentrated all power on himself. When asked

about the riot that had greeted Lloyd during his visit to Bahrain, Al-Shamlan

proclaimed that the riot did not target Lloyd but was an expression of dissatisfaction

aimed at Belgrave. On the subject of Egyptian influence, Al-Shamlan stated that

although they loved Egypt as a result of common traits shared by both states the

Movement was not influenced by any external power. On cooperation with the

Government of Bahrain, the Bahraini nationalist said that he wished to have all the

NUC’s demands met at one time and not in installments. This, he said, included

Belgrave’s departure.

Wyatt further interviewed random people on the streets of Manama, which

gave a rare insight into Bahrainis’ outlook on local developments and the Adviser.

All those featured in the report overwhelmingly demanded in basic English that

Belgrave leave the country immediately, one of them even wanted him to go ‘in

twenty-four hours’. The BBC special also featured an interview with Burrows. In

the film the Resident explained the structure and work of the Residency and

Political Agencies throughout the Gulf. On the policy adopted in internal politics of

these states, Burrows explained that the Residency did not interfere in local politics

unless it was asked for advice or when the Residency felt that the situation called for

them to provide advice to the Rulers. Hussain Yateem, a Bahraini Sunni merchant,

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