Falklands

lynchie

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Can't we just make them an independent state? Then no one's colonising, and everyone's happy (even Sean Penn)!
 

rednev

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The Falklands is too small and isolated to function as an independent state. And even if it could, Argentina would not settle for that. The Malvinas is Argentine territory, as far as the Argentine government is concerned. If Argentina recognised its right to be independent, it would recognise its right to choose to be a British territory. By definition, it would not be an independent, sovereign state if it had the condition 'you shall not return to Britain' forced on it by Argentina.
 

Gambit

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A modern Falkland Islands, transformed by war

By MICHAEL WARREN, Associated Press

STANLEY, Falkland Islands (AP) — Falkland Islanders are still bristling over the invasion by Argentina 30 years ago, but they're not complaining about its aftermath.

The April 2, 1982, invasion led by Argentina's dictators and the subsequent war with Britain launched a process that transformed the archipelago from a sleepy backwater of sheep farms into a prosperous outpost whose residents enjoy one of the highest per capita incomes in the Western Hemisphere.

"It took a war to make it better," said Sybie Summers, who runs a gift shop in Stanley. "Life really changed. When we were kids we played with sheep bones. Now it's a new iPad they have to have."

The key to jump-starting their economy, islanders say, was the British military muscle left in place after the invasion. The presence of 8,000 troops and a military fleet gave the Falklands the power to establish a fisheries licensing program, and collect fees off of the hundreds of rogue trawlers from Asia and Spain that had been overfishing the South Atlantic.

That fisheries revenue then paid for free educations in Britain for every Falklands teenager. About 80 percent of those kids have returned debt-free with university degrees and advanced skills.

Most islanders still have to work multiple jobs to provide all the necessary services among a population of just 3,000. But last year's government surplus was nearly 19 million pounds (US$29.9 million), and the rainy-day fund now provides a nearly 3-year cushion against economic crisis.

The revenue from the fishing industry also seeded offshore oil exploration, which paid off last year with the Sea Lion discovery, an oil strike some analysts estimate could deliver $3.9 billion in taxes and royalties in the years ahead.

Oil exploration is already generating more in revenues than the islands' government has ever seen.

And if Rockhopper Exploration finds a $2 billion partner to fund crude production, "quite simply they'll become the richest people in the world" said John Foster, a managing director of the Falkland Islands Company, which runs an array of local businesses.

If not for Argentina's 74-day occupation, islanders say, the Falklands might still be stuck in reverse — a lonely and declining outpost with few job opportunities or creature comforts.

"This is a totally different situation here than there was 30 years ago," said Nick Pitaluga, a fifth-generation islander.

In London, many still believe islanders are subsidized by British taxpayers, when in fact the Falkland Islands Government runs a surplus and counts on Britain for only defense and foreign affairs.

The official story from Buenos Aires, voiced by American actor Sean Penn, is that the Falklanders are an oppressed people, suffering under archaic colonial rule on territories Argentina has claimed ever since it declared independence in 1816.

But the 3,000 residents engage in direct democracy with local lawmakers who happen to be their relatives and neighbors.

After the war the Falklands became a self-determining British Overseas Territory. In 1983, Britain granted full citizenship to Falkland Islanders and under the 1985 constitution the islands became effectively self-governing with the exception of foreign policy.

The local government encouraged the Falklands Islands Company to break up its sheep farms and diversify its holdings. It did, and has since brought more investments and a higher quality of life back to the islands.

The remote South Atlantic archipelago 300 miles (480 km) off Argentina's extreme southern coast seemed to have few prospects before the conflict, which cost the lives of 900 soldiers and sailors, most of them Argentine. The price of wool from the islands' half-million sheep had plunged; the population dropped below 1,800; and there was almost no infrastructure for a modern economy.

Beyond the several dozen streets of the tiny capital, there were no roads at all and only a rudimentary radio telephone system to communicate across a territory nearly the size of Wales.

Before the war, Britain was shedding vestiges of its colonial empire, and sent officials down urging islanders to accept a Hong Kong-style handover. Three Argentine air force officers were sitting in the front row as a British diplomat told the islanders not to expect military protection, recalled John Fowler, a longtime editor at the islands' weekly Penguin News.

When Argentine bombs started exploding around Stanley, many islanders wondered if London, some 8,000 miles (12,874 kilometers) away, cared for them at all.

"It seemed to us that we were an embarrassment to the United Kingdom's ambitions of reasserting themselves as an economic power in Latin America," recalled Fowler.

When the British soldiers did arrive, it seemed like a miracle to islanders who felt they were being controlled by Argentina even before the invasion.

"They had their chance back then and blew it. If they had waited a few more months, (British Prime Minister) Maggie Thatcher probably would have handed us over, but they couldn't wait and Thatcher got her knickers in a twist. We were very very lucky she had that kind of backbone," said Pitaluga, who is still a farmer who raises sheep on the land his great-great grandfather settled after arriving in 1840.

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Nice little read.
 

Member 39557

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3 year cushion against an economic crisis, when can I move there?
 

Gambit

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bill.s.preston said:
3 year cushion against an economic crisis, when can I move there?
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I want to get there now, every one will be millionares, funny thing is if and when the oils starts to flow the population will endup being mostly Yanks I bet.
 

Gambit

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Excal said:
That'd settle things. "feck Britain, feck Argentina, the oil is OURS!"
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Nah the Yanks will play nice, promise to mediate, slowly replace our military with theirs, promise the Argentineans the islands back. Suck the place dry and give them the oiless husk back in 30 years.
 

Gambit

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A good free docement that covers the arguments of the actual historical claims of Argentina. http://www.falklandshistory.org/gettingitright.pdf
Also found out that Argentinas claims over sovereignty are the Falklands, South Georgia and Sandwich Islands (over a 1000 miles away) and a section of Antartica.
 

Gambit

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weaste you read sea harrier over the falklands?
 

Marcosdeto

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marcosdeto said:
mate, the argentinian military has the fire power of a small USA town in 4 of july

we cant threaten shit, you know what is going to happen to argentina and it's seudo foreign policy on this matter? we will recieve a lot of moral suport from the UN and our south american friends,

all those "friends" will keep trading with Great Britain, Europe and Asia, while we, the amazing argies, that think we know it all, will be blocked

because that's the next step and the only conclusion for what argentina is trying to do with great britain

but at least, we can avoid a war that we cant fight,



i
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did i say it or did i say it? :smirk:
 

Gambit

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Sharkey Wards take on the Sea Harrer operations, absolutely fascinating, epecially when you consider what the small amount of Sea Harriers were up against and also how stupid the British Military powers can be even in what can be considered a modern war.
 

adexkola

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Gambit

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Rumous are that Borders and Southern will announce large well results from the Darwin prospect drilling.
 

mjs020294

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At $65 for a couple of columbian hookers I think I would have been tempted to get a private show in my room.
 

Gambit

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Turns out Border and Southern found a gas prospect and not oil.
 

WeasteDevil

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Oh dear!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17932669

President Fernandez used the occasion to repeat her demand for negotiations on sovereignty over the Falklands.

She gave her backing to Argentina's ambassador in London, Alicia Castro, who on Monday asked UK Foreign Secretary William Hague to "give peace a chance" by opening dialogue.
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Give peace a chance? So if dialogue is not opened, what does that entail? Bizarre thing to say! :wenger:
 

Team Brian GB

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MikeUpNorth said:
It's already pretty peaceful down there.
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They're just a bunch of idiots, if you think our newspapers are gung ho in their reporting about the Falklands you should see what they are like in Argentina, a government minister in Buenos Aires went on the record a couple of months ago saying that we were sending 'the pirate prince' down there and 'raising tension' over the Falklands to distract the electorate from Alex Salmond's bid for independence.

I also recently watched a couple of 'debates' about the Falklands on Press TV which were absolutely hilarious, if you ever want to see what bias and skewed presentation of current affairs looks like you should look up their stuff on youtube.
 

JustAFan

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Sir Matt

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JustAFan said:
Interesting she is the one making all the noise about getting the Falklands back. Obviously the UK is not going to attack the Argie mainland in an act of aggression. So who exactly is threatening the peace in the Falklands? Priceless.
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But those Brits are just so violent! Fighting wars after the Falklands are invaded. Can you believe that? Savages! There hasn't been fighting in 30 years yet they still refuse to give peace a chance. This woman is a moron. The only ones sabre-rattling are the Argentinian government.
 

Grinner

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Somewhat related, but on iPlayer at the moment is the 1983 series The Paras which was filmed as the war broke out. There's a lot of footage of the paras doing their thing down there.
 

rednev

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Grinner said:
Somewhat related, but on iPlayer at the moment is the 1983 series The Paras which was filmed as the war broke out. There's a lot of footage of the paras doing their thing down there.
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Interesting watch.

God...Prince Charles dressed up in full Para uniform, including the maroon beret, as their colonel-in-chief. fecking royals!
 
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