Argie Bargie

Oh the delicious irony.  During the Napoleonic Wars the Spanish settlers of Argentina demanded their freedom from a decaying Spanish empire and those Spanish settlers now enjoy the right of self-determination. Dimwitted leftie Argentinians, aka wanabee Europeans, today spit on the memory of their own revolutionaries by demanding that the British settlers of the Falkland Islands have no similar right to self-determination when those settlers make it clear they wish to be British. Argentina has no legal claim over the Falklands whatsoever and never has, it matters not one jot where they are located else what next - a claim on the awkwardly and stupidly carved out Chile too? It would be political suicide for any British government to capitulate so they won't. And it would be foolish and tragic for any Argentinian government to offer up its soldiers to the slaughter for the sake of a useful domestic diversion.

If I were PM this would be my response to the current "crisis" and to Hugo Chavez wading in on the situation. When Latin America isn't busy frogmarching all over its lands with tin pot military dictators banging on about imperialismo with their chaotic perma-revoluciones, rampant favela slums covering most of their countries while it's richer citizens and politicians live the high life in Rio, or in central parts marauding drug gangsters busily using people's heads as footballs, it is turning out thugs in chief who talk such utter crap it's a wonder they qualify for statesmen on the global stage. And a bigger wonder our press take these fuckwits seriously.

Comments

[Kris, in New England]

What a brilliant rant! Hats off to you Alison - hitting all the buttons on this one, rightly so!

[Daniel]

It's like Deja Vu all over again. Or did you write this back in 1982? It was foolish and tragic to watch Argentina to offer up its soldiers to the slaughter back then, just as it would now. Regardless of the 3.5 billion barrels of oil there.

Let's hope it's all just bombast without the bomb blast.

Loved your response, btw.

[Buck]

I hope it doesn't come down to a replay of 1982. I was in London during that time and remember the pain of HMS Sheffield all too clearly. While the outcome would never be in doubt if there was a re-run, let's hope cooler heads prevail.

[alison]

Brazil are in on the act alongside Venezuela because they have both just started drilling off the coast and expected to be the ones in charge of all region's oil. Chavez is such a two bit clown.

Back in the 80s a proposiion was tabled to share any oil wealth in the region provided it included the settlers of those islands. When Argentina refused and invaded instead they forfeited any subsequent right to that proposal - so they can go to hell!

We're sending military personnel etc already. And if need be I would suggest we pull our troops from Afghanistan. This is more directly important.

Hopefully they will stfu but with the Argentinian economy such a pig's ear, they need any useful diversion.

[Jourdan]

Alison, you're spot on of course. But imagine what the world will look like for your children's children when the United States itself is just another Latin American country, a process which is well under way....

[alison]

Sorry but Brian's comment was expunged. I absolutely detest Brit-sneering doom mongering ill informed nonsense**.

Especially when I have family in that very Navy being talked down about in such an off hand dismissive way.

There is no way in hell we would simply leave the Falkland islands unprotected in the face of aggression - and lose. End of story.

We don't keep a Navy to be world policeman no, but we now keep a very decent sized garrison on full standby in Port Stanley compared with the last time and it would take a bloody big invasion force to kick our reinforced island over. We also have two more on their way and additional subs. Happy to put you in touch with those men out there**, to fill you in on how and why they won't invade OR succeed.

If you wish to make a point try it without the sneering smugness. It smacked as a downright opportunistic patronising pop at your allies as well as wholly ill informed. You are not a regular commenter here. So you must only have rocked up on this blog to post a comment because you saw a neat little opportunity to take the piss. Fine on your own blog. NOT on mine. It would help to appreciate the difference on the islands between the 80s and right now. Not to mention all that passed between and where our military was needed and how. "As 9/11 demonstrated to the world you cannot rely on full military arsenal to protect citizens these days, a couple of regular airliners can bring a country to it's knees. You could get out some jets and fire off a few shots maybe but hey ho". It's the equivalent *at a key moment* of a Brit bowling up on an American's blog and dishing precisely that sort of vapid uselessness injected with a "sorry but".

***(additional comment from family member)

1) The Falkland Islands Defence Force are in place which was not in place when they invaded first time round. They are very professional indeed and more to the point they are extremely well equipped.

2) We have a significant number of troops on the islands this time around. Argentina invaded last time precisely because we did not.

3) Times have changed. Wars have changed. And we now have a constant nuclear sub roaming down there equipped with cruise missiles. On top of that there are the Rapier 2000 Missile sites (which I was based on down there) that can deal with up to 30 incoming hostile aircraft at a time. Not even Stealth can fool them. The Argentine Airforce would be wiped out.

I would support redirecting our forces from Afghanistan if necessary especially with Obama's lukewarm support for us over our soveriegnty now.

But fact is there is simply no need for a Task Force style operation now. I can say with all confidence as someone stationed there that an invasion attempt by Argentina *would* be suicidal.

******

Sometimes I wish we weren't in Afghanistan. It makes me furious to read the way some Americans perceive us and our military strength when we have men and women fighting and dying there and when we stepped up alone to the plate in Iraq and invested so much money in prosecuting that bloody war instead. There is never any recognition in the US press or blogs of our efforts if we even register a mention - and your government offers barely a wimper of VERBAL support in our direction re the Falklands when other LatAm nations now wade in on the argument and turn it towards the UN the very people who screwed you over re Iraq - but our Navy's size is the focus of interest here? Come off it.

***

With love and respect to my family on their way there RIGHT now at this important time - and *sincere thanks* for the supportive comments from regulars above.

You can rely on me to NEVER use these opportunities on the internet to undermine your strength of feeling about your own security much less undermine the actual conditions - no matter what the circusmtances. Too often I have seen exactly that ill informed crap give succour to our enemies who let's face it put up a damned good fight armed with nothing more than a Koran, AKs and IEDs.