Falkland Islands - British??

Question

Is it time to hand the Falkland Islands to Argentina?
I heard that it costs the British taxpayers an estimated £1 million PER DAY for it's upkeep through having a military presence.
For a small population it seems a disproportionate amount of money, and it's been going on for the last 25 years!
What's your views??

Answer 1

I feel I'm commiting some sort of patriotic treason by saying this, but nevermind. The Falkland islands are British. Yes, yes, I know, they are closer to Argentina than to the United Kingdom, and they are part of the same submarine plataform, but, c'mon people, so is Urugay (Wich was also once upon a time part of argentinian territorry) You don't see us reclaiming soberany on than one, do you?.
The way I see It, the falkland islands have been british since the XIX century, wich is about as long as we've been a proper country. They have the right to get their own say, and they say British. They don't want to be a part of argentina, and quite frankly, Who would chose Argentina over the Uk? (God, I'm so unpatriotic). We brought a war to their doorstep, a war wich was no more than an idiotic attemp to propagandise a authoritarian, inmoral an decadent militar govermet. I was a war they knew argentina couldn't win, Innocent soldiers died on both sides. And now we want they to say : "So we are part of Argentina? Amazing! Let's hang an argentinian flag then!" It's ridiculous.
Falkland people want to be British, they're proud to be British, enough is enough.


Julia

Answer 2

Before people get carried away by this British Governments propaganda re the Falklands just remember that Blair was for a compromise over the invasion of the Falklands. No crying for war then but of course he was not in the pocket of George W Bush at that time. Argentina is a supposed democracy now but remember all the hideous 'disappearances' carried out by the military dictatorships?. Despite so called democracy it was only in June 2005 the the Supreme Court in Argentina managed to overturn the immunity granted to military officers,police and others by the current government preventing investigation and prosecution of the crimes of mass murder. No wonder the Falkland Islanders are afraid of what a 'compromise' with Argentina by our cowardly government would mean for them. Keep the Falklands British.

Answer 3

falklands island was built up to what it is by the british and the people are british, the only reason why the arges want the island is the money it will kick out the locals and replace them with incompented arges. and i like to piont out it is used as a training facilty for the british armed forces due to its different and extreme terains and opperating and keeping equipment serviceable in close proximity to sea enviroment,
and also how can argentine think they have soverentiy when the british have been living longer on the falklands longer than the argentine has been a countrie. i believe that the countrie will remain british as long as the people on the falklands swear alligence to the throne, and it will always be britians duty to defend the falklands islands which means kicking argentinas **** as usaul

Answer 4

The Falklands seem to be under going an economic boom so great that they are actively recruiting foreign labor to help with the new businesses of fishing and fishing boat maintenance that it would be unwise to give up that revenue source right now. also the navy likes the base as it allows the navy to keep an eye on all that is going on in the South Atlantic which is growing more important in it's economic worth as the northern oceans are fished out. Besides the Falklanders don't need some banana republic screwing things up when they are just getting good.

Answer 5

im sure scotland and wales cost more.

It has had british occupancy for 150years (previously un-inhabited), but has always been british territority, although often disputed.

It has a wealth of oil and minerals. In terms of wealth potential, every islander is a potential millionaire!!!

It is not a base for Artic Training at all, this is done mostly in Norway and Canada (borders the artic circle), much of the year the falkland weather is quite nice. There is occasionally a marines outpost on South Georgia, but this is not often and generally only ties in with visits from HMS Endurance.

On the main land, there is a radar station, airfield with jets and soldiers(army) for ground defence. It is not used for specifically for training, as all posts are Ops defending / maintaining a military precence there.

Marines were first stationed there in 1952, which is a bit of coincidence that the fist seimic hits showing oil were in the 50's too. The British obviously spotted a threat but failed to spot the attack.

Answer 6

So on your way of thinking if the French invaded the Channel Islands we should give it to them?.The Falklands are British just because Argentina is the nearest populated country why should we hand it to them a country with one of the worst human rights records on earth.

Answer 7

Like are we Imperialists that have to maintain an Empire and colonies to perpetuate The Great Britain.That's why we maintain the islands.Then there is Belize and South Georgia and a few other dependencies that all cost money.Apparently there are prospects of oil being found off the Falklands ,which if developed could help to defray the cost.I think it depends on one's political persuasions as to whether the maintenance of these sites is desirable or not..

Answer 8

The Falkland Islands were first settled by French and British explorers in the 18th century although the islands had been first discovered and marked on maps by various other countries (including Egypt, Stanistan, and Neptune) some 200 years earlier. It is believed in Argentina that Spanish sailors discovered the islands first. However, all this neglects the existence of the native Falklandanianeristanian population of three people, seventy-four ducks, and 337 billion penguins that were already living there. In the ensuing years the Spanish also invaded the islands; at which point the French promptly surrendered and returned to France to lick their wounds and eat cheese. Encouraged; the Spanish went on to drive out British settlers and take control of the islands. Shortly afterwards the Spanish realized why their opponents had given up so readily and returned to Spain. In the following years Argentina established their Incontrovertible claim of sovereignty on the basis that the islands used to be owned by Spain and so did Argentina, therefore the islands belonged to Argentina. Argentine leaders did have to concede however that equal claims were possessed on this basis by Morocco, India, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, America, Canada, Germany and most of the rest of the world. Fortunately for Argentina, the British have twice driven them out of the islands, saving the Argentines from the terrible doom that has beset the Falkland Islands people.

Currently the Falkland Islands altogether have a population of about 12 million, concentrated in the city of Squiggo, population 5.6 million, one of the largest cities in the Southern Hemisphere. Squiggo is known for its skyline, which is dominated by a 1,288 foot tall building shaped like a person, known as The Giant. It is the world headquarters of Giant Supermarkets. Squiggo was named after King Squiggo of the Falkland Islands, reigned 1897-1980. The current leader of the Falkland Islands is King Ben, who is an absolute monarch.

The Penguin Menace

In the aftermath of the 1982 conflict, A successful Coup D'Etat was carried out by an army of
I may look cute now, but mess with me and one day I'll get youfearsome bloodthirsty penguins. These pengins have since established the world's first non-human totalitarian state, with the islands' human inhabitants forced to live in an underwater city hidden by kelp (a kind of thick, brown, chewy, fibrous seaweed). It is from this that the islanders' name for themselves, Kelpers, was coined. The UN security council have considered a war-like response but have been advised that until the penguins invent fire and the atom bomb, there are probably greater risks to international security.

Answer 9

I don't think that will ever happen. Can you imagine.

Britain: Oh, do you guys remember that time back in the 80s that we kicked your butt from here to kingdom come over the Falklands?

Argentina: Why do you insist on rubbing it in? Of course we remember!!

Britain: No, no. Nothing like that. We just want to go ahead and hand it over to you. The war and all the people that died over this insignificant piece of land don't mean anything to us anymore. So, Merry Christmas!

Argentina: Really?! Thank you so much - losing a war never felt soooo good.

No, I don't think it will happen - though financially it would make sense.

Answer 10

The Falklands are self-sufficient apart from defence. They export £125m per year from sheep farming, fishing and tourism; as there are only 3,000 residents it is much richer per capita than the motherland. A lot of British men died protecting these islands and we have a duty to protect it in their honour. The military presence is a base for arctic training and was there prior to the war, if they didn't train there then they would have to train elsewhere so that should not be a factor of you argument