I have done some research into Hastings and his background and it raises several questions about his psychology and also the accuracy of his historical writings.
Max Hastings was a child rejected by both parents. His mother, Anne Scott-James, (a notable journalist), was a thrice married feminist who, (according to an article written and implied by Hastings himself), seemed to spend more time at Oxford University worrying about her next male conquest: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253061/MAX-HASTINGS-Mummy-women-tried-I-despised--I-wrong.html Despite the unhappy relationship with his mother, Hastings followed her into journalism, and also, it appears, (according to his Wikipedia profile), the divorce courts. When Hastings decided to side with his 'selfish' father over his parents divorce, Anne Scott-James wrote him out of her will. "If I'd murdered her," Hastings wrote in a recent article, "no jury would have convicted me." Hastings blames his own parents divorce for the break-up of his first marriage and thirty years of unhappiness he suffered, and as you can read in the article linked below he takes no responsibility for his marriage or its break-up whatsoever. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253537/MAX-HASTINGS-My-mother-wrote--sneered-knightood-If-Id-murdered-jury-convicted-me.html Also, it should be noted that, considering the above statement made by Max Hastings about his mother, Hastings may be suffering from a metal disorder, and psychologist do claim that mental illnesses can be passed from parents to children, and Hastings own divorce may well have been the primary cause of his own son Charles’ suicide in China in 2000, an account of which can be found at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/oct/13/pressandpublishing.interviews Max Hastings stood up for his father MacDonald, against his mother, despite the fact that he believed his father to be a 'selfish drunk', who seemed to lack financial morals, especially when it came to his own family. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253291/Desert-Island-discord-How-MAX-HASTINGS-parents-driven-divorce-fathers-decision-strand-desert-island.html Earlier this year, (2010), Hastings described his father through a Daily Mail article: He (Mac Hastings), was shameless in allowing her, (Anne) income to take the strain for his own financial follies, and made no attempt to adjust his lifestyle to his fluctuating fortunes, merely passing an increasing proportion of bills across the dinner table to his wife. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253291/Desert-Island-discord-How-MAX-HASTINGS-parents-driven-divorce-fathers-decision-strand-desert-island.html#ixzz0hc5e9mYY In Max Hastings writings, his questionable and mostly inaccurate statements of others, included former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and particularly focuses on his relationship with his wife Clementine. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1207271/MAX-HASTINGS-Churchill-brutally-rude-capricious-petulant-Even-wife-feared-corrupted-power.html Hastings claims that Clementine Churchill feared her husband had become corrupt. This headline claim was clearly only made to sell the story as nowhere in the article does Hastings attribute or provide evidence of any possible corruption on Sir Winston Churchill’s part. Hastings also claims that Churchill personally disliked Neville Chamberlain and that the eulogy he offered of his former colleague was not an accurate view that Churchill actually subscribed to. Having briefly looked into the sully life of ‘Sir’ Max Hastings, his drunk, over-spending father, his formidable but suicidal divorcee mother, and many of the inaccuracies in the articles written by Hastings and sadly published by the Daily Mail, I believe the validity of Max Hastings and his writings should now be questioned by an audience of independent thinkers who actually value honest and unbiased opinion. With great respect to the Churchill Chat group, I humbly submit this article in defence of the unsubstantiated claims made against Winston Churchill III in Max Hastings recent article. I submit this information only to validate the fact that I believe Hastings is NOT an accurate source of unbiased historical knowledge. The article above has been researched over the internet through editorials widely available to the general public. Any personal opinion stated is just that, personal opinion formed from the articles written by Max Hastings. I welcome all comments. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To post to this group, send email to churchillc...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to churchillchat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat?hl=en.
