Next Falklands war

[pjclarke]

I really can't believe the left-wing hand-wringing appeasers who would be happy to hand over British territory and the British citizens therein to a foreign power.
All British citizens everywhere, from the Falklands to the Shetlands via Gibraltar and Scotland have the right to be protected by the British state and are right to expect the British state to retaliate in the face of aggression from any foreign power.
If any British territory is invaded, then it is only right and proper that the British armed forces should be mobilized to repel the invaders, regardless of cost, this is one of the prime reasons for the existence of our forces.
That any British citizen could even suggest that we shouldn't protect our own people and that we should even hand over other British citizens to a foreign power, is quite frankly disgusting and you really should be ashamed of yourselves.

Pot, Kettle. in the South Atlantic, we were once the 'foreign power'.

On 2 January 1833, Captain James Onslow, of the brig-sloop HMS Clio, arrived at the Spanish settlement at Port Louis to request that the Argentine flag be replaced with the British one, and for the Argentine administration to leave the islands. While Argentine Lt. Col. José María Pinedo, commander of the Argentine schooner Sarandí, wanted to resist,[16]:90 his numerical disadvantage was obvious, particularly as a large number of his crew were British mercenaries who were unwilling to fight their own countrymen.[16] Such a situation was not unusual in the newly independent states in Latin America, where land forces were strong, but navies were frequently quite undermanned. As such he protested verbally,[17]:26 but departed without a fight on 5 January. The colony was set up and the islands continued under a British presence until the Falklands War.

Self-determination is fine but all rights have to be balanced against the right of others, such as the right of the the rest of the country not to have our taxes uselessly wasted and the rights of our servicemen not to be killed over a territory a third of the war around the world.

Join the Navy and you could end up making the ultimate sacrifice so that 12 sheep farmers may carry on sheep farming on a remote rock.

[vetran]

The difference is we have our own parliament. Maybe you should give independence to the Falklands then let them fight off the Argentinians on their own.

Nicola will be in charge for a lot longer than one term and we will have our independence.

so if the Russians or Norwegians invade tomorrow you will deploy YOUR ARMY and YOUR ARMAMENTS to defend yourselves?

Can't see Vlad been scared off by a few special brew cans thrown at him.

When the magic cash tap turns off weee Jimmy will be out on her ear.

[barrydidit]

In the South Atlantic, the Royal Navy deploys at least one of the new Daring Class Type 45 destroyers. Doesn’t sound much; but with each one capable of tracking up to 1,000 targets from 400Km simultaneously and engaging up to 300 targets in layers from 120 km to 30 km (provided the targets are larger than a tennis ball) simultaneously, it is the equivalent of 5 Type 42 destroyers of the type used in the Falklands War.

In effect, if all the serviceable attack aircraft in all of Latin America – including Cuba – were attacking the Falklands, a Type 45 could cope comfortably

rest of the article

[pjclarke]

it would be a bit like giving Scotland to Norway,

Yeah, exact analogy - more like, a Norwegian Scotland and the descendents of an Norwegian force that settled on Scotland by force in the 19th century becoming British.

If Norway was 8,000 miles further away than it is, natch.

[woohoo]

I really can't believe the left-wing hand-wringing appeasers who would be happy to hand over British territory and the British citizens therein to a foreign power.
All British citizens everywhere, from the Falklands to the Shetlands via Gibraltar and Scotland have the right to be protected by the British state and are right to expect the British state to retaliate in the face of aggression from any foreign power.
If any British territory is invaded, then it is only right and proper that the British armed forces should be mobilized to repel the invaders, regardless of cost, this is one of the prime reasons for the existence of our forces.
That any British citizen could even suggest that we shouldn't protect our own people and that we should even hand over other British citizens to a foreign power, is quite frankly disgusting and you really should be ashamed of yourselves.

I'm saying that the amount of lives and money it takes to protect a small rock with a small population is just not worth it. You can get all patriotic about it but we do this all the time. We don't got to war with every country that mistreats our citizens or locks them up when we don't agree.

Our country has been doing this for years, back when we where a super power and the US was up and coming we settled many disputes over territory amicably. Because neither country could afford to go to war.

[alluvial]

Pot, Kettle. in the South Atlantic, we were once the 'foreign power'.

Specious argument.
The islands are at this moment in time British and want to remain British. If you want to follow that line of argument, then we should consider returning Argentina to the indigenous natives or The Shetlands to Norway.

Self-determination is fine but all rights have to be balanced against the right of others, such as the right of the the rest of the country not to have our taxes uselessly wasted and the rights of our servicemen not to be killed over a territory a third of the war around the world.

Join the Navy and you could end up making the ultimate sacrifice so that 12 sheep farmers may carry on sheep farming on a remote rock.

Another specious argument. Rights aren't negotiable. As a citizen you have the right and the justifiable expectation to be defended by your fellow citizens or its nominated representatives in the event of aggression from an extremal force.

[NotAllThere]

Yes you did. You implied that allowing someone to have to live under foreign rule rather than British was horrific.

When that foreign ruler was a South American dictator with a cavalier approach to human rights, I think it's a reasonable opinion.

[unixman]

Peru/Ecaudor
India/Pakistan
Russia/Ukraine...

Pakistan is not a full democracy now and almost certainly wasn't at the outbreak of the above war.
India is a democracy now but was not an establisghed democracy at the outset of the above war.
Russia is no longer a full, open democracy.
Ukraine is no longer a full, open democracy.
Peru/Equador - I haven't researched it but I can guarantee that when war broke out at least one side was not a full democracy.


Argentina - is an open democracy, just... the Empire should send a star destroyer just in case.

[alluvial]

I'm saying that the amount of lives and money it takes to protect a small rock with a small population is just not worth it. You can get all patriotic about it but we do this all the time. We don't got to war with every country that mistreats our citizens or locks them up when we don't agree.

Our country has been doing this for years, back when we where a super power and the US was up and coming we settled many disputes over territory amicably. Because neither country could afford to go to war.

So when does it become worth it? Does there have to be a certain size of population before we consider them worthy of being defended from a neighbour's aggression? Quite frankly, if Britain does decide that they aren't worth it and that we can't be arsed to go down to the South Atlantic to defend them, then maybe they would be better off throwing their lot in with another sovereign state.
And if you think that it isn't worth it to go and defend other British citizens from aggressors, then maybe you aren't worthy of calling yourself British.

[Batcher]

so if the Russians or Norwegians invade tomorrow you will deploy YOUR ARMY and YOUR ARMAMENTS to defend yourselves?

Can't see Vlad been scared off by a few special brew cans thrown at him.

When the magic cash tap turns off weee Jimmy will be out on her ear.

You obviosuly went to the same school for stupids as whinestrone.

We will not be invaded by Russia or Norway or anyone else for that matter. If we were independent we would have our own forces, just as Norway does, but we wouldn't be invading anyone. we would have enough of an army and navy to protect ourselves without seeing the need to be aggresive to build an empire.

An independent Scotland would be one of the richest small nations on earth. If we didn't provide a lot to the UK GDP then Westminster would have cut us adrift long ago. The fact is we are an oil producing nation and would have no problem sustaining ourselves.