Falkland Islands

[greenstiles]

Sad that cam-moron is using this to try and boost his flagging popularity..........i wonder who else did that

 

[1duck]

We would be better having the argentines as our friends than the falklanders.

You don't make friends by bribing bullies.

Is that why we let the united states have its independance and now have them as allies? or pakistan and india or most of africa or even hong kong.

People who want to hold onto the falklands are just wanting to hold onto an imperial mentality, do like the germans did for their enclaves in what is now russia, offer them the opportunity to return to the homeland if they take it all good and well if not well they can live alongside the argentinians.


Argentina isn't a military dictatorship any more, they are a democracy who are better positioned geographically to help the falklands develop. Why we need to keep hold of a couple of rocks out in the middle of no where is ridiculous.

 

[rosstheboss]

The Falklanders have lived happily side by side with the Argentines though, for many years! It's only the current president who is trying to curry favour by loudly demanding them back. Remember that for years now the Falklands have generated hundreds of millions of pounds in fishing rights (which was agreed amicably with Argentina) ass well as lucrative tourism (the islands are a very popular stop off for cruise ships - think thousands of people every week) so they pay for themselves many times over.

 

[suburbanreuben]

. Why we need to keep hold of a couple of rocks out in the middle of no where is ridiculous.

I would have thought that was obvious; The Falklands may be sitting on enormous oil reserves. Why give that away?
The fact that the islanders probably (we'll soon find out) want to remain British supports our claim to the islands, and gives the government a chance for some populist willy waving.
It's a win-win situation.
If push does come to shove, it'll give the Navy a chance to show what they can do (I bet they're itching for it, having played relatively minor roles in recent conflicts).
Cue more willy waving, Cameron sweeping to absolute power, and a significant boost to the economy (Nothing is as good for business as a good war).
As far as Dave is concerned, Argentina getting uppity is a dream come true.

 

[greenstiles]

Fishmonger, Ironmonger, Warmonger......it's all business at the end on the day .....still think the islanders should decide their future....isn't it their oil ?.......think history will get in the way of common (not so common these days) sense and compromise.

 

[lumos2000]

so may people living in the past, i ride a retro bike but dont have a retro attitude, south america have one of the fastet growing economys at the moment doing a deal with them now will favour everone. no point of arguing over who owns the oil when its still in the ground. with the attitude we have now the uk will soon be a 3rd world country
wake up and smell the coffee, its south american.

 

[red_riviera]

We would be better having the argentines as our friends than the falklanders.

You don't make friends by bribing bullies.

Is that why we let the united states have its independance and now have them as allies? or pakistan and india or most of africa or even hong kong.

No-one was invaded when the British settled the Falklands.

We fought and lost the USA, we didn't 'let them have it'. Fair play.

Pakistan are our allies now? Must have missed that.

Hong kong was a lease that expired and was handed back. That seems a dignified way to conduct territorial transfer rather than sending a conscript army to seize it.

People who want to hold onto the falklands are just wanting to hold onto an imperial mentality,

No other nation has successfully settled the Falklands and they were unpopulated when British settlers arrived there for the last time.

Anyone embarrassed about Britain's colonial past needs to understand that at the time, everyone was at it... the Spanish, the Portuguese, the French, the Russians, the Dutch... even little Belgium once held more 76 times more territory than Belgium itself. No need for Britain to apologise for being good at it.

If you want an objective lesson in colonial expansionism, read up on the way Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay divvied up Paraguay, killing 60% of its male population in the process.

And since Argentina tried to take the islands by force in 82, they have no moral argument whatsoever. None.

do like the germans did for their enclaves in what is now russia, offer them the opportunity to return to the homeland if they take it all good and well if not well they can live alongside the argentinians.

Argentina isn't a military dictatorship any more, they are a democracy who are better positioned geographically to help the falklands develop.

Having spent a year in the Falklands, I can assure you that the Falklanders regard the Falklands as their homeland. These people have spent generations working in a very remote and inhospitable place and only now are starting see some glimmer of prosperity. The Falklands government is almost unique in that it is now actually running a surplus - during a global downturn! Would you hand that over to live in some sink estate in Britain?

Why we need to keep hold of a couple of rocks out in the middle of no where is ridiculous.

Don't be naive. The Falklands are an asset potentially worth much, much more than the cost of maintaining them. And it's a stepping stone to the Antarctic and the resources that may hold. It's a simple cost/benefit exercise.

And now for some light relief with a picture of a classic British X-Lite retrobike at Mare Harbour on West Falkland:

 

[suburbanreuben]

We fought and lost the USA, we didn't 'let them have it'. Fair play.





:

Fair play? :shock:
It was our reserve team, playing away.

 

[suburbanreuben]

We fought and lost the USA, we didn't 'let them have it'. Fair play.





:

Fair play? :shock:
It was our reserve team, playing away.

We need a rematch!

 

[red_riviera]

Sad that cam-moron is using this to try and boost his flagging popularity..........i wonder who else did that

Christina Kirchner