Falklanders Referendum.

What do people think this referendum will achieve?

My hope it will force the UK government to give the Falklands full independence and sign to treaty to keep defending them. It will also mean the UK government gets none of the Falklanders oil revenue, which belongs to the Falklanders.

My other hope is the rest of the world will see the UK is not being colonialist, but defending a former colonies right of self-determination, like the UK did when Guatemala claimed Belize. Oh yes that's right the UK has done this before.

 

We've over this quite a few times before now.
Check the archives .

 

The Falkland Islands will wake to the news that they are still part of Britain. The official result of the sovereignty referendum is due in the early hours of tomorrow morning, but with an overwhelming percentage of inhabitants expected to vote ‘yes’ finding someone today who held the opposite view was a tall order. Early indications suggested turnout was high among the 1,675 eligible voters, just over half of the islands’ 3,000-strong population. A small but significant ‘no’ vote could be registered, but this is from islanders who want greater independence, not closer ties to Buenos Aires. Already yesterday, London was indicating its intention to use the referendum results, like the islanders themselves, as a propaganda weapon with the rest of the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/counting-underway-in-falklands-referendum-as-britain-prepares-to-use-yes-result-as-diplomatic-propaganda-8529669.html

 

Independence? I sure as hell hope not! The falklanders ought to realise that they are british and as such they should remain part of the british nation, and that were they to be independent they'd lose much as they're very weak. And colonialism? My arse; the falklands were empty before the brits came or atleast didn't have any natives. It could've been any country that settled it but it turned out to be the brits. Or what give it to argentina because of some bogus always-favour-the-underdogs mentality, or make it into a pathetically weak suvereign country? Can't a country get any rewards for their success? Are they supposed to give back what they havn't even stolen also?

in short; Falklands belongs to the UK.

 

Argentina should now concede the point and let it go.

 

Argentina should take it back and get rid of one more colonialist base causing problems around the world

 

Blind hatred of the brits hmm? They cant take back something that was never theirs

 

The Argentineans only wanted the islands after they woke up to the fact that there was oil and lucrative fishing grounds there. Also, they lost the war, the Brits won. If I was English, I wouldn't yield to their bullying and give the islands back after the sacrifices of 1982. And the people there want to be British. The Argentineans should look towards Antarctica for territorial claims.

 

My hope: The US will act referring to the Monroe doctrine and back Argentina for an invasion.

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It was always theirs, sending out a few hundred colonists from the UK does not change that one bit.

 

The Falklands is a near deserted piece of rock with barely 3,000 people living on it. To put this in context, it would be like the local parish in a village in rural Derbyshire, trumping the interests of 60 million people as regards UK government foreign policy. Revenues accrued belong to all UK nationals not just to those living on this piece of rock thousands of miles away in the Atlantic. You might as well argue that the revenues accrued through mining in Kent, belong solely to the residents of the said county.

 

So much for being anti-war and pro-democracy.

What Argentina should do is respect the will of the people of the Falklands.

 

huh? It was never theirs (the argentines); being close to it doesn't mean it belongs to them. and especially not when the population is british and there never were a native populace. And even if there were the natives wouldn't be any more argentine than they'd be british (in fact more british since they've ruled it for hundred of years).

 

But Talon, the people of the Falklands are UK passport-holding British subjects of the crown whose rights to self-determination are based on that premise. It's not democratic to effectively trump the will of 60 million UK citizens at the expense of 3,000. Foreign policy cannot be determined in that way.

 

Well, it did not play out too well the last time, did it?

 

Oh the irony of your words. You do realize the Brits used the Monroe Doctrine to push the Spaniards out which ironically got them the Falkland Islands?

Unless you're talking about Teddy Roosevelt's use of the Monroe Doctrine then Americans we got some parts of North and South America that we did not settle. Southward hoe in the name of manifest destiny!! We'll have Argentina and by 2020 if we really put our backs into it! And Canada can become our biggest state ever! And don't worry Great Britain, we'll just babysit the Falkland Islands for ya, old buddy, old pal.

Also anyone ever notice that only Western Powers are harassed to give up land? You don't hear Germany going waaaaah Russia give us back East Prussia, it's not riiiiiight!!! Nope just anti-west haters that ignore what the people of these said territories want. Yep, yep we gotta support Argentina cuz it might get them some oil and gas.

 

Imo, and were it up to me, I would give the islands over, and use this to foster relations between the country and S America.

It would be a good tactic, and could have a pay off.

I don't think it is right to 'own' islands that are not even in Europe, to be honest.

If the people there want to be British, they can stay here.

 

You can't just trade away something that's a part of your nation! The Falklands were empty weren't they? Then came the brits and now they've lived there for hundreds of years. The people are british, and so is the land.

 

I've had a word with the native inhabitants - penguins - and they want the Brits out. They have also kindly asked me to provide them with more fish.

 

British people have better things to care about though.

The islands are really of no value to them, I am sure that if better trading relations led to more jobs, prosperity, etc here, you would soon see how much they really cared about some island, miles away.

As to the islanders, all 1200 or so, they were not even born in Britain, many of them. But if they really want to be British, then fine, why live in 'virtual Britian', when they can come live in actual Britian, if they love it so much.

 

This is all about oil to Argentinians its clear as day. And even if it wasn't just because the empire a nation revolted from owned these islands before doesn't magically make them yours. Just because you don't like Europeans owning land in other waters does not mean the natives of these territories are suppressed and want to be free. No, a lot of them would rather be a part of these European nations. They get to choose and their wishes should be heard. Anyone else that is going against their wishes are in the wrong here. Who cares which tectonic plate they are on, if they want to be British then Britain should defend their right to be British and keep them in their kingdom. They made it loud and clear who they want to be with, Argentina needs to back off and respect their wishes.

 

Uh, because that's their home???

 

So?

They can live there.

I am not stopping them, no one is.

 

The question is whether those scoundrels in Buenos Aires
will respect the Islander's wishes .

IMO - all people whether Irish/Scots/welsh /Gibraltarians,/Kurds/Tibetans / etc,etc. should have the right to self-determination.

 

From the little that I understand , it looks lik both British + Argentian people have more urgent problems to deal with than being concerned as to whether Falkland Islands being /administered by Buenos Aires or London.
Looks like another trick use by politicians to divert public's attention
away from their skullduggery.

IMO the SOB's in BuenosAires are no better/worse - than those in Westminster.

..

 

What's wrong with Argentina?

Less wrong about their Gov than our Gov, imo.

At least they are holding an enquiry re Israel, over the incident that was pinned on Iran.

You would never get Cameron or Milliband doing that..