6 APRIL 1962, Page 5

No Beards in Buenos Aires 'What does a democratic government

do when a large portion of the electorate freely chooses a totalitarian party?' Thus some- one on about Argentina at the weekend. This is the kind of question guaranteed always to stir the liberal conscience into a vortex of comfortable soul-searching. The short answer is that no State is under any kind of moral obligation to stretch out its neck, when required, for slitting. It looks as if our way-out liberals are taking quite calmly the Argentinian Estab- lishment's answer to the question. It would .be a different matter, of course, if Peron and his chief bully-boys at home were twenty years younger and wore beards. Then all their sins would be forgiven them for vicarious kicks. I've yet to hear anyone say of Peron what I heard a young woman writer breathe about Castro when some- one was attacking his Communism: 'Man, but he's the sexiest thing ever.'