Should We Have Recaptured The Falklands?

[ToraToraTora]

Many, usually on the left, often denigrate the effort to retake the Falklands from an Argentine military junta. "war for penguins" - "god forsaken rocks" etc so do they think we should simply have ignored the invasion and let the islanders be annexed? Discuss.

[naomi24]

Yes, we did the right thing.

[New Judge]

//...do they think we should simply have ignored the invasion and let the islanders be annexed?//

Yes I expect they do. But I don't.

Whether or not Argentina have a legitimate claim to the islands (and having read a lot about it, I suggest they do not) the invasion of them was not legitimate. I visited the Falklands before many people in the UK had ever heard of them. The people there are fiercely British and want no interference from Argentina whatsoever. Critics may say that's because we forcibly occupied them and installed a population there. History is unclear on that and I don't believe any Argentinians were expelled as a result of out activities. However, even if they were, we don't (or should not) settle things by invasion today.

Apart from being 8,000 miles further away, there is no difference between the need to protect the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands from foreign invasion and the need to similarly protect the Isle of Wight. The thing that sticks in many people's throats about the liberation exercise was that the decision to launch the exercise was taken by Mrs Thatcher, who also took some of the key decisions. It gives them a good reason to hate her even more. For me, it gave me yet another reason to admire her. The liberation was one of the most complex and difficult exercises undertaken by the UK military in recent times. Thanks to the defence policies of successive governments since, it could not be accomplished today and even if it could, I doubt any politician would sanction it for fear of upsetting a few people. No doubt a committee would have to be set up to conduct a review before any action could be taken. And by the time it reported (if it ever did) the islands would have been under entrenched occupation.

[MissTerious2]

Of course we did the right thing.

[ladybirder]

I remember it very well. Yes, they were right.

[youngmafbog]

Yes, we did the right thing. They invaded so had to be removed, thats all there is to it really.

[Lie-in King]

No question, we did the right thing.

[MissTerious2]

I think we need another Thatcher!

[youngmafbog]

Thatcher (and I admire her greatly) was of her time. We need someone strong but of this time.

Looking at the shower on both sides of the house it aint gonna happen.

[Untitled]

yes absolutely... the argentine junta was extremely nasty and prone to carrying out appalling violence on its people... death squads, forced disappearances, torture... it would have been negligent in the extreme to allow UK citizens to become subjects of that regime

[MissTerious2]

I agree completely agree youngmaf. All we've got now across all parties is self centred wet blankets who couldnt organise a xxxxup in brewery.

[Old_Geezer]

Nothing to discuss. You don't let some lying, brainwashing, envy filled country invade your territory simply because they have internal issues they wish to remove from their public's attention.

A more relevant question might be why we didn't get the type of support Ukraine is presently getting allowing us to capture the invaders' nation, remove the corrupt evil government, and start getting the whole country to accept that lying to each of their generations as to what is their's, is blatantly wrong.

Perhaps they'd be better concentrating on how to cheat during world cup football matches and convincing officials to make ridiculous decisions. They may prove better at that.

[Untitled]

i think it is important to make a distinction between Argentina the country and the evil junta which seized control of it

[ToraToraTora]

Funny, no one seems to think it was wrong to recapture the Falklands. Is there a 5C meeting somewhere going on we don't know about?

[jno]

we didn't get the type of support Ukraine is presently getting allowing us to capture the invaders' nation

er, what? Nobody's getting support for capturing Russia, any more than Britain got support for capturing Argentina.

[Old_Geezer]

Support is support. Whether Ukraine feels like capturing Russia or not, is irrelevant to level of support given.

[jno]

yes but did you want to capture Argentina?

[Untitled]

did you have anyone specific in mind when you wrote the question toratoratora or did you just imagine a person and get very angry with them

[Untitled]

by the way do you have any evidence that the people you don't like are actually 5th columnists?

[fender62]

one could ask the same question of gibraltar, let the spanish have it erm why, ask the population who live there what they want, then you have your answer.

[ToraToraTora]

I have never said people I don't like are 5C. People who demonstrate the traits of the 5C are 5C.