Argentina opens up second front in Falklands Kerfuffle

[Jason]

We do have six of these, the most hideously ugly vessels on the planet:

Just one of these is enough to take out the entire Argentine air force

They laugh so hard they fly into the ocean.

[Jason]

Fly? they'll just get towed back... less expensive, and risky enough the argies won't volunteer... I assume that genuine refugees would indeed skew the vote... in the "let's be british" direction.

I mean send civilian ships to near the Falkland Islands and as soon as a warship turns up scuttle them, UK government will be forced to rescue them and dump them in the Falkland islands

If it escalates that far, we 'merkins will come by with a carrier group. Don't you worry your pretty little heads about it, it's gunna be alright....

Nah. The Americans will be completely hypocritical and refuse to get involved in someone elses war. Argentina will annex the Falklands, the channel islands, and most of France (the Vichy will join them voluntarily). Canada will help the British fight the battle for Britain for 3 years before Peru (who joined the Argies) attacks an American base and you guys decide to join the war cause now it's personal.

LOL - we just figure the Europeans have been warring so much over the last 1000 years that you ought to have it down by now. It always amazes us that somehow you folks manage to get yourself in these pickles that you can extricate yourselves from. Jeez, you'd think Blighty ruled a 1/4 of the world not too long ago....wouldn't know it by looking at 'em today, that's for sure.

Extending your analogy, of course, the Brits, who (over US objections) demanded a harsh and oppressive peace accord with Argentina in the first war, will ignore the rise of a new and terrible Argentina, and appease and accommodate them at every turn, finally declaring "peace in our time." They will stand by and watch the Agies announce an Anschluss with Chile, and proceed to annex Uruguay and Paraguay to make "Living Space" for Argentinians. Finally, when Argentina invades Brazil, the Brits will declare war on Argentina and immediately begin bitching that that the US didn't also do so.

Sounds about right.

[Strontium Dog]

It's not hideously ugly, it's a stealth boat

[Jason]

It's not hideously ugly, it's a stealth boat

What is the purpose of the single turret on the foredeck?

[Cormac]

There is an element of hypocrisy in the UK's position however. The majority of the Hong Kong population had no wish to be part of China in 1997. They weren't given a choice. The situations are not dissimilar.

I wouldn't agree there. It's perfectly obvious that Hong Kong is part of mainland China. It was on a legal lease which both parties honoured, and the lease expired. That's how I remember it anyway.

The Falklands are 300 miles from Argentina. If proximity means you have a right to territory, we still have a right to Ireland. And half of France. And Argentina can claim most of Chile.

As far as I'm concerned, 300 miles of ocean might as well be 3,000. It's historical claims that count, and Argentina has never had a population on the Falklands, Britain has, for nearly 200 years.

The historical valid objection to empire has been the subjugation of the indigenous population, and the taking of their homeland.
That simply doesn't apply to the Falklands. In fact the exact opposite applies.

If Argentina got their hands on it, that WOULD be subjugation of the indigenous people, and taking over their land.

And that's how Argentina was born in the first place.

You never had a right to Ireland.

Your claim to the Falklands is undeniably legitimate.

[Coito ergo sum]

It's not hideously ugly, it's a stealth boat

What is the purpose of the single turret on the foredeck?

Phallic purposes.

[Cormac]

I was reading somewhere that the "falklanders" are a elite that own the land etc and most of the population is transient chileans etc that do all the jobs that the elite dont want to do.

So the UK is defending essentially a landed gentry and went to war to do so.

The whole thing is fucking stupid.

Might be. But land is worth fuck-all in the Falklands. Having land doesn't make you gentry there.
And Chileans are a tiny minority :

The population of the Falkland Islands is primarily of British descent (about 70 percent of the population), mainly as a result of Scottish and Welsh immigration to the islands.[124] In the 2006 census, some Islanders identified themselves as of French, Gibraltarian, and Scandinavian descent.[125] Other minorities include South Americans (mainly of Chilean origin) and, in more recent times, people from Saint Helena.

6.5% of the population isnt a tiny minority by anyones standard and are the grunt force for the elite in the country as are most of the new immigrants into the country admittedly.

Is this the first example of an overwhelming majority being described as an elite?

[JimC]

There's a simple answer. Transfer the Falklands to Australian sovereignty (throw in NZ as well), after all, we are all southern hemisphere islands.

The Empire of Sheep!

[Strontium Dog]

It's not hideously ugly, it's a stealth boat

What is the purpose of the single turret on the foredeck?

For firing at other ships.

[MrJonno]

I think the gun is for firing warning shots across the bows of pirate ships (seriously), that ship isnt going to deployed against 1st world airforces its going to be stopping Somalia pirates ( a great use of money but the UK has more Admirals than ships and more Generals than tanks ( I think we currently have zero operartional ones at the moment)

[Cormac]

It's all a bit British Empire, though, eh? If fewer than 2,000 people on an island in the south Atlantic want to be British, they can come here (it's a drop in a bucket compared to those who come in normally as immigrants), and then we'll not spend millions and risk lives defending their Britishness at a distance of 9,000 miles.

Sure.

Why not send all those pesky Unionists in Northern Ireland back to lowland Scotland from whence they originally came, (along with all those unionists who are of native Irish descent). It would save no end of trouble.

Not sensible.

In fact, it is ethnic cleansing.

[Jason]

I think the gun is for firing warning shots across the bows of pirate ships (seriously), that ship isnt going to deployed against 1st world airforces its going to be stopping Somalia pirates ( a great use of money but the UK has more Admirals than ships and more Generals than tanks ( I think we currently have zero operartional ones at the moment)

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It's a dinky little gun so hardly makes sense otherwise.

[Audley Strange]

There's a simple answer. Transfer the Falklands to Australian sovereignty (throw in NZ as well), after all, we are all southern hemisphere islands.

The Empire of Sheep!

Perhaps we should transfer ownership to the U.S. then when Argentina invade the U.S. can use it as a pretext to bomb Venezuala for some reason.

[MrJonno]

There's a simple answer. Transfer the Falklands to Australian sovereignty (throw in NZ as well), after all, we are all southern hemisphere islands.

The Empire of Sheep!

Perhaps we should transfer ownership to the U.S. then when Argentina invade the U.S. can use it as a pretext to bomb Venezuala for some reason.

You have the Falkland Islands but only if you take Northern Ireland with you

[John_fi_Skye]

It's all a bit British Empire, though, eh? If fewer than 2,000 people on an island in the south Atlantic want to be British, they can come here (it's a drop in a bucket compared to those who come in normally as immigrants), and then we'll not spend millions and risk lives defending their Britishness at a distance of 9,000 miles.

Sure.

Why not send all those pesky Unionists in Northern Ireland back to lowland Scotland from whence they originally came, (along with all those unionists who are of native Irish descent). It would save no end of trouble.

Not sensible.

In fact, it is ethnic cleansing.

Nope. I was hearing a politician on the radio this morning (didn't catch the name, but it wasn't Nigel Farrage) arguing just what I have, much better than I did. One point he made was that a recent survey found out that only a third of the present inhabitants of the Falklands were born there - the rest are first-generation incomers, and the whole economy there is totally dependent on the UK. He was also arguing that Argentina could probably be persuaded to let the people who want to stay there keep their UK citizenship, while living in the Malvinas. There must be a better way than sending the gunboats in, and risking a lot of lives. And costing a lot of money.