Yes 1970, only one has a British passport.

[On 5 December 1995, Solana became the new Secretary-General of NATO, replacing Willy Claes who had been forced to resign in a corruption scandal. His appointment created controversy as, in the past, he had been an opponent of NATO. He had written a pamphlet called 50 Reasons to say no to NATO, and had been on a US subversives list. On 30 May 1982 Spain joined NATO. When PSOE came to power later that year, Solana and the party changed their previous anti-NATO positions into an atlanticist, pro-NATO stance. On 12 March 1986 Spain held a referendum on whether to remain in NATO, with the government and Solana successfully campaigning in favour. When criticised about his anti-NATO past, Solana argued that he was happy to be its representative as it had become disassociated from its Cold War origins. ……]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r104:S08DE5-237:

[I happen to believe, Mr. President, that this is a very fine choice, a superb choice, one that I think should strengthen NATO and the political leadership of NATO in the months to come, particularly at a critical time when the issue of Bosnia and NATO’s role there is going to be so very, very important.

I know that most Americans are probably not familiar with Mr. Solana as a foreign minister of Spain. There has been some criticism raised about this choice over Mr. Solana’s opposition some 15 years ago to Spain’s participation in NATO. As a result of his statements then, there have been those who have criticized his choice to head that organization.

I thought it might be worthwhile to share something of Mr. Solana’s background and involvement when Spain was making the decision about NATO membership. I also think it would be informative for people to know about the critical role he has played in the Spanish Government over many years.

Finally, I believe my colleagues will be surprised to know of the deep sense of affection that Mr. Solana holds for our country, knowing it as well as he does. I say that because Mr. Solana is a physicist, by academic training. He, of course, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Madrid, and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, while a Fulbright scholar. He taught physics at the University of Chicago in this country before beginning any kind of a political career. He has published more than 30 books on the subject of physics. ………..]

[Daphne – There was no Nationalist government in the early 1970s, unless you mean 1970.]

Well Malta’s entry into the EU might eventually be his sons’ insurance to continue to enjoy the benefits of being in the EU. If his buddy Nigel has his way, the UK will soon be out of the EU.

He conveniently forgets that both his sons have British passports. So he worked hard to deny Maltese youths rights that his children already had.

And of course no one picks on this.

Remember him back in the referendum years? I do. Even his colleagues were shocked by his virulence. Edward Mallia, who’s known him for years, gave up trying to convince him.

But he’s a household name, at least in academic circles. And that, my friends, is a VIP ticket up the Great Maltese Career Ladder.

So to the present.

And they say the future is bright.

Give the PM some more time, Harry. The PM’s hindsight only kicks in about 5 years after the event.