daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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milnews.ca said:.... 1518 islanders vote "stay with U.K." versus 3 "don't stay with U.K."The Guardian, 12 Mar 13
I'd hate to be one of the three dissenters
milnews.ca said:.... 1518 islanders vote "stay with U.K." versus 3 "don't stay with U.K."The Guardian, 12 Mar 13
Oldgateboatdriver said:Nowhere did it say that those "dissenters" wish to join Argentina.
The referendum asked if they wished to stay with the UK.
Perhaps they just want their own independent Island nation
Danjanou said:Yeah I can see that playing out well.
"Good morning and welcome to the first press conference of the new Republic of the Falkland Islands. We'd like to again state we have severed all ties and treaty obligations with the United Kingdon and..... wait one second please.... Bienvenido a las Islas Malivanas, la provincia más joven de Argentina." 8)
Duckman54 said:Thanks for input guys, but so far nobody's shed the LEAST bit of light on my original question...
Yes, yes the Islanders voted. yay! Big surprise...
Back in the day, "the Empire" spent vast sums setting up Forts and Colonies in strategically important places, vital to shipping routes, to the spice trade, the fur trade, etc, etc. If the location itself didn't produce some amazing commodity valuable enough to pay for it's infrastructure/defence/administration then at least it's location was an important pass-thru or staging point. Neither of these applies to Falklands. They seem to be the lone house in the cul-de-sac at the end of a VERY long stretch of road, the only reason for travelling is to support the little family living out there.
By that same rationale, I could voluntarily choose to move my family up beyond the Arctic Circle, set up shop within spitting distance of Russian territory, and then claim it is the Federal and/or Territorial Government's responsibility to look after ALL our needs! YOU (the taxpayer) are now obligated to fly all my family's supplies in, provide us with access to healthcare services (can you imagine all the flying back and forth for every little thing?), defend us and our immediate surroundings from encroachment, school my children, etc, etc... So without giving YOU any Say-So, I'm just gonna volunteer you to pay for my upkeep forever, ok?
But you can't shut me down because the vast majority of my household wishes to remain Canadian!
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Rather absurd argument, isn't it?
Falklands alert as Argentina strikes £145million deal for 20 Mirage warplanes
Quote:
Argentina has launched a new round of sabre-rattling against Britain by buying a squadron of warplanes to be based within striking distance of the Falklands, the Sunday People has revealed.
President Cristina de Kirchner – who wants the UK to hand over the disputed islands – personally agreed the £145million deal to buy 20 second-hand Mirage F1 jets from Spain.
The 1,453mph aircraft carry a fearsome array of weaponry including smart bombs.
Argentina’s move could force the Ministry of Defence to bolster Britain’s presence in the south Atlantic, even though its budget is to be slashed by £875million in 2015.
Senior officers believe Argentina could now begin a campaign of “pester patrols” – flights towards the Falklands to test RAF responses.
Kirchner is thought to be trying to boost her nation’s military capability in a show of strength before elections which are due in 2015.
But last night a senior RAF source said: “If the Argentines start playing games and escalate the tension, we will see more RAF aircraft being deployed to the Falklands.”
The French-built Mirage F1 has a range of 500 miles – the Falklands are 400 miles east of Argentina.
Daily Mirror link
Spain threatens escalation of Gibraltar row
Spain threatened an escalation in its battle with Britain over Gibraltar warning it was ready to impose a new border tax and investigate the affairs of Gibraltans with Spanish economic interests.
UK tells Spain any solution to fishing dispute must include Gibraltar government
UK has dismissed a comment by Spain’s Foreign Minister suggesting that Britain and Spain were poised to reach a bilateral solution to the fishing dispute. Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said Spain was open to dialogue and that he and his British counterpart, William Hague, “talk a lot” about many issues, including Gibraltar
Britain protests to Spain after jet-skier shot at off Gibraltar
Britain has protested to Spain's government after a Spanish police patrol boat fired at a British jet-skier in waters off Gibraltar in the latest diplomatic spat over the disputed territory.
tomahawk6 said:Argentina is less capable now than in 1983 in forcing itself upon the Falklands.They should accept reality.Same for Spain with regards to Gibraltar.
Retired AF Guy said:According to Wikipedia, Argentina doesn't have any Mirage F-1s in its inventory, meaning its pilots and ground crew will have to be trained. So, don't expect the F-1s flying around the Falklands anytime soon.
This Brit blogger (well worth bookmarking in general, I might add) suggests just taking a breath in both cases - this bit on the Falklands in particular ....tomahawk6 said:Argentina is less capable now than in 1983 in forcing itself upon the Falklands.They should accept reality.Same for Spain with regards to Gibraltar.
.... the Spanish may be selling a limited number of Mirage jets to Argentina. It is not clear whether this is actually news, or whether it’s the case that the Tabloid press have been looking on Wikipedia and turned what is a one line entry on future Spanish Mirage jet prospects into an article designed to raise tensions. In reality this site has long made the point that the Argentine Armed Forces are in a parlous state, and that they are desperately short of spares, training and operational experience.
They've also taken various fleets of aircraft out of service in recent years, so its entirely reasonable to expect some form of replacement at some point. In the case of the Mirage jets, they entered service in 1975 and are extremely old and not necessarily front line fast jet material any longer. Acquisition of a small number of 1970s vintage jets which have been worked hard for nearly 40 years is not really going to change the balance of power in the South Atlantic. Indeed, its worth noting that right now (if you believe Wikipedia) the entire Argentine Mirage fleet is grounded anyway due to spares and safety issues. At best this acquisition may try and restore some limited capability. So, its fair to say that the Falkland Islands are hardly at risk of collapse – if the acquisition of a small number of ancient fighter aircraft materially changes the balance of power, then something has gone very badly wrong in UK defence planning circles ....
Gibraltar: Spain considers joint diplomatic offensive with Argentina over Falkland Islands
Spain is considering forging an anti-British alliance with Argentina, adopting its strategy over the Falklands Islands, as the diplomatic row over Gibraltar intensifies.
Kirkhill said:Daily Telegraph
I wonder if Drake is tired of bowling. It sounds like Cadiz may need another singeing.
Drake singes the King of Spain's beard.
Spain and England: 450 years of convivial relations and counting.
By the way: Sarcasm is in effect.
Edit: This is what happens when empires let down their guards. With the old RN the Dons would never have dared to challenge HMG on Gibraltar and the Falklands.