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sharkboy -> RE: Should The Falklands be handed over to Argentina? (24/2/2010 9:39:08 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Your Funny Uncle
My question is, should we give the territory over to Argentina like we did with Hong Kong to China?
But there is a fundamental difference here in that we didn't hand HK back to China, rather our 99-year lease on the New Territories expired.
quote:
It's a tricky one but personally I think they shouldn't be handed back as that would an insult to the soldiers that died during the war and the current inhabitants want to remain under British rule. I couldn't care less who originally staked a claim to them (although British claim far outdates Argentinas) and how much oil there may be in the surrounding area. Just interested to hear others thoughts....
While I agree 100% with your reasons for retaining soverignty, it has always stuck in my craw that the vast majority in Britain couldn't have given a flying fuck about the islands or islanders until some jingoistic fervour was whipped up. Remember, it took the elevated recognition that the war brought to actually grant the inhabitants full British citizenship (which they didn't get until 1983) and for years before successive governments had been involved in negotiations to return them to Argentina.
If you judge soverignty based on the chronology of claims, then it could be argued that the French predate the British in that there was already a French colony established on the island (indeed, the first European colony to be established) when it was claimed shortly after for Britain. The handing over of the French colony to the Spanish sparked the first "Falklands Crisis" back in the 1700s, and the current Argentinian claim is simply a post-independence continuation of the previous Spanish claim And there appears to be evidence of a previous settlement of indigenous tribes from Tierra del Fuego, so you could argue that Argentinians did reach there first! [:D]
All that is saying is that there can be validity to each side's claims of soverignty, but the deciding factor is that the UN recognises our claim as the legitimate one, and that is in keeping with the will of the inhabitants. And as long as that will remains, then it shouldn't be open to debate. As elab says, a little self-determination goes a long way in international politics! [:D]
But you've got to wonder if a beleagured Gordon Brown isn't looking back at the impact of the last war on the 1983 election and considering calling the Admiralty...[:)]
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