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Topic: OT: Falkland Islands (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Stuart Vandal
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Joined: 02 July 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 143
Posted: 09 March 2012 at 1:08am | IP Logged | 1  

"If this were solely a matter of Britain clinging to the vestiges of empire, I would find the British claim to the Falklands every bit as pathetic as I indeed find the Argentine claim (I believe the analogy was two bald men fighting over a comb) .  The rub is what the inhabitants want.  If they wish, as they do, to remain British then British they ought to remain."

I agree on every point. If this was about Britain trying to hang on to somewhere just because we once ruled it, it'd be ridiculous. But, despite Argentina's attempts to make out that is what the motivation is, it is nothing of the sort. After WWII Britain started letting the various countries it ruled have independence fairly quickly, and by the 1950s I don't think Britain was making any effort to hang on to any piece of the Empire. The handful of tiny spots around the world that remain British did so by their own choice, and the average person in Britain these days couldn't even tell you what or where they are without looking it up, with the exception of Gibraltar (relatively local) and the Falklands (and that's only post-Argentine invasion, which made people aware of the islands). But, just as Britain was happy to respect the wishes of the citizens of any country that wanted independence, we are also prepared to defend the rights of those who want to stay British, no matter what their geographical distance from the UK.

"If, say, the Philippines were claiming sovereignty of the Marianas Islands(an American possession in the vicinity), I doubt if I would be especially troubled by the matter, so long as the inhabitants consented."
Absolutely, and we'd be the same with the Falklands. Its the fact that the inhabitants don't consent which is the issue, something you and I (and most of the people here, it seems) recognise, but which Brennan doesn't.
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Robbie Parry
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Joined: 17 June 2007
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Posted: 09 March 2012 at 5:54am | IP Logged | 2  

If my friend over there, along with the other inhabitants, woke up one morning and decided that they wanted to be part of Argentina, I'd be supporting them in that decision and hoping something could be achieved. However, they don't feel that way, not that Brennan seems to care about their views.

And whilst I can't speak for every Argentinian - and there are no doubt some who want ownership of the islands - I'd wager that for most of them, they just want to get on with their lives, make a living, etc. I'd wager most of them, the millions that Brennan mentioned, don't really care much about the islands as it probably has no effect on how they go about their daily lives.

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