Argies looking to take Falklands...

[DRoseDARs]

Of course, that rock doesn't even have sheep.

[BeBMan]

I see, Anglosaxon propaganda is preparing for another world war

[Victor Galis]

Argentina

If the article is to be believed, the islanders don't wish to be part of Argentina. That in and of itself is enough to reject the Argentine claim.

[Tassadar500]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs


Another answer with a cited source, that's all I wanted. KH's CNN article also mentions an oil exploration deal that yielded squat, so that doesn't leave much else for the islands' importance.

The economy is doing fine thus far. I fail to see why the economy would fall because there doesn't happen to be any oil.

[DRoseDARs]

I thought I was clear in my meaning; I guess not. I meant that besides oil (which didn't pan out) and sheep, what makes the islands economically worth the bother to the UK or Argentina? Asked, answered.

[Cort Haus]

It's the old contradiction between historical and demographic claims. Argentina have the historical, but Britain has the demographic claim.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
For the uninitiated, why do either country - much less the UK at 8,000 miles away - give two sh*ts about these islands?

The Brits care about it because virtually everyone on the island is British and they want to remain part of the UK. The Argentines care for no good reason and in fact are just taught in school that it is part of Argentina. The reality is a Spanish ship stopping in the 1700's and then not coming back doesn't make much of a claim on the islands when another country actually colonized it.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Because sheep-rearing is not enough of a growth industry to justify giving one sh*t, let alone two, over these islands 8,000 miles away.

Several companies recently signed oil exploration deals in the Falklands. I'd wait to see how much (or little) oil is there before giving them to someone else.

[Dinner]

I just saw the date on this. It must be an April fool's joke.

[Dauphin]

Why? The tone is not different to the UK position or Argentinian angle in recent years.

[Barnabas]

Originally posted by Oerdin


The Brits care about it because virtually everyone on the island is British and they want to remain part of the UK. The Argentines care for no good reason and in fact are just taught in school that it is part of Argentina. The reality is a Spanish ship stopping in the 1700's and then not coming back doesn't make much of a claim on the islands when another country actually colonized it.

The issue is the english acknowledged the islands belonged to Spain in treaties, and after Argentina became independent, the argentines did colonize the islands, the (argentine) population of the islands was expelled when the english occupied it in 1833, which was pretty much an Act of piracy.

Argies have claimed those islands every year since 1833.

So it is not as if they have a worse claim than the english, there is a reason why the excuse for keeping the islands is the people who live nowadays want to remain english, while ignoring what happened in the XIX century.

Sincerely, I think that altough england may have gotten the islands in a wrong way, they should remain english, since the people there want to remain english, their ancestros have lived for over a century and a half there and they are not guilty of what happened in the XIX century.

So my solution would be england keeps the islands, but apologizes to Argentina for taking the islands by force in 1833.
But that wont happen, because pigs will fly before the english apologize for their colonialism, and the argentines will continue claiming the islands.

By the way, the falklands are rich because the Argentine sea is very rich in fish, the falklands have claimed a huge territory of sea surrounding it, and they sell licenses to fishing companies from china etc to fish in their waters, the argentines obviously see the falklanders as parasites, only 3 thousand people live in those islands, and the fishing ammounts to over 10% of the fishing argentines (40 million people) do

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

It says something about Britain that we're so determined to cling onto desolate little specks of rock with no obvious value.

The Falklands, South Georgia, Pitcairn, Scotland...

[Barnabas]

By the way, I forgot to mention, according to the Argentina constitution Argentina can not go to war for the islands again, it would be illegal, they modified their constitutions to make it say they claim the islands, but can only get them thru peaceful means.

I mention that because in english tabloids, always twice or 3 times a year there are articles about, omg argentina is going to invade the islands in any moment!! and articles with navy officers saying they are so under funded that they would lose to Argentina if it invaded the islands again.

[Odin]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
For the uninitiated, why do either country - much less the UK at 8,000 miles away - give two sh*ts about these islands?

Because there are a bunch of Brits who live on the islands who want to stay as part of the UK. Sadly the Argentines think historical claims are more important then what the islanders want.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp
It says something about Britain that we're so determined to cling onto desolate little specks of rock with no obvious value.

The Falklands, South Georgia, Pitcairn, Scotland...