The joys of the falklands..

I would also add that without being any less fierce about defending the Falklands right to self-determination, I would be very saddened to see more Argentines die. It's hard to justify most lives lost in war. But this one would take the biscuit.

 

Losing lives over land where the people vote overwhelmingly against you... where your claim is hundreds of years old... based on the Spanish empire of all things... I couldn't look anyone's mum in the eye and tell them it was dulce et decorum.

I've been trying to concoct a ludicrous compromise position for the FCO, and I've come up with this.

 

Clearly, even if you hate Britain you have to concede that Argentina's claim is utterly spurious. So I suggest going the old testament route and just giving it to someone else completely random.

 

I think it should be a home for Rastafarians, or extraordinarily dainty homosexual men, or just my dad.

 

Or all three.

 

Or just two, and we impose some serious lifestyle changes on my dad.

Next thing you know, the French will ask the Channel Islands back.

Most of Europe used to be Celtic, maybe we should hand it all back to Ireland?

Query: If the claim is for the Spanish empire, doesn't that mean we should hand them to Spain? I know they apparently inherited them. But, you know.

Most of Europe used to be Celtic, maybe we should hand it all back to Ireland?

The situation is a bit different when you have a genuine terra nullius being settled, the point of contention being the lack of continuous inhabitance (~reversion to terra nullius) by the Spanio-Argic-Platinates vs the current British inhabitance. Plus, most ethnic english people are still far more genetically celt than latin/ north german/ scando/ scando-norman.

 

But yeah, the claim is silly, flawed, has been fought over already, and is largely posturing for domestic benefit.

 

Query: If the claim is for the Spanish empire, doesn't that mean we should hand them to Spain? I know they apparently inherited them. But, you know.

Spain's a particularly interesting case, as they complain about Gibraltar while keeping an enclave opposite in North Africa (Ceuta) which really ought to be Moroccan by their own logic.

Fortunately, the Spanish don't have a cultural black hole surrounding it. My Spanish friends often bring it up, but they know there is always going to be something more important going on.

Query: If the claim is for the Spanish empire, doesn't that mean we should hand them to Spain? I know they apparently inherited them. But, you know.

Gibraltaaaaaar

I never understood the fuss over Gibraltar (besides some silly nationalistic sentiment). It was paid fair and square (together with one of the Balearic isles) to England for the services as a mercenary, by the winning side in the succession wars (neither side having a lot of money after the Habsburgs demise). The island was later traded back, but nobody really cared much about the rock at the time other than the English who saw a strategic benefit in a naval base there (Spain already had harbours on both sides of the straits).

Well it is making that nice "headline splash" for the newly elected "hardliners" in Spain. Although so far they appear to be focusing more on just making it difficult for people, ie: the 7 hours wait on crossing the border, increased "tax research" on anyone owning property in Spain who happens to live in Gibraltar,  talking about shutting down airspace access to Gibraltar, and adding border crossing fees...

 

Query: If the claim is for the Spanish empire, doesn't that mean we should hand them to Spain? I know they apparently inherited them. But, you know.

Gibraltaaaaaar

 

 

Groovy. We give Gibraltar to Argentina, and etc.