"The Malvinas are Argentine, they always were, they always will be."

[jarrambide]

The majority of the 8000 Falkland Islanders are British, so they want to stay that way. Perfectly acceptable. Argentina in 2007 is a MUCH different country than the one British beat up in 1982. You will hear this one every year for a long time to go I'd bet. This is the same nation that wants independence for Puerto Rico and has said so quite a number of times.

Problem is the Puertoricans don´t want to be an independent nation, referendum, after referendum they keep voting to remain the same, an associate state, and they have been given the chance to vote to: a)Stay the same, b) Become an independent country and c) Become a state of the US.

I just don´t get Puerto Rico, voting to stay in limbo, either decide you are a different country, or a state of the US, but for some strange reason they don´t want to be a state or a country.

But the fact that I don´t get it is irrelevant, that´s the way they have chosen every time, it´s their decision.

[Eki]

See the diference?, a piece of rock that had no inhabitants, no one from Argentina went to that piece of rock, British men and women for some strange reason went to live there.

Yep, my sentiments exactly. If some oddballs want to live on that piece of rock as they wish, it shouldn't interest either Argentina or Britain. It's not worth fighting for.

[jso1985]

From Wikipedia:

"Argentina was the first independent nation state in the Southern Hemisphere and its Legislature and ruling political party have passed resolutions calling for the national independence of Puerto Rico, which would make it the last independent nation state in Latin America."

well Wikipedia is wrong!!!!

Paraguay was the first independent nation in the Southern Hemisphere.

But just asked my dad and told me that Alfonsin used to talk about it quite often, so you're right on that.

all South American presidents are/were a bunch of nutters that's the main problem

[SOD]

Wasn't Argentina in a military dicatorship in 1982 when they invaded?

[janneppi]

Have you ever been in the Falklands?, I have, VERY different story, the Falklands is a piece of rock, nothing else. Why anyone would want to spend their whole life there is beyond me, but the inhabitants love their piece of rock.

Now, everyone in that rock is British, just ask them (it will not take you long, you can actually ask every single citizen in less than a week), they are the original inhabitants of the rock (why?, because no ene else wanted to live in that rock), every one of them speaks english with a British accent, every one of their ancestors was British, like them.

Visiting the place is nice, living there?, I would not go there to be a shepherd, but they like it, they are happy and they are British.

See the diference?, a piece of rock that had no inhabitants, no one from Argentina went to that piece of rock, British men and women for some strange reason went to live there.

So it's ok to invade rocks from someone elses coast if no one lives there?
But still, wasn't there a Argentinian settlement(former Spanish and French) called Port Louis from 1764 to 1832 until Americans destroyed it?

[Drew]

Wasn't Argentina in a military dicatorship in 1982 when they invaded?

Yup, the invasion was a last ditch attempt to win back Argentine public support.

[jarrambide]

So it's ok to invade rocks from someone elses coast if no one lives there?
But still, wasn't there a Argentinian settlement(former Spanish and French) called Port Louis from 1764 to 1832 until Americans destroyed it?

My point is that it is a piece of rock only crazy people would want to live in (that is why it makes sense it is populated by British families), it has nothing in it, no oil, no minerals, the soil is not suitable for farming, you can´t even arrive by sea 6 out of 12 months of the year. It is a rock of shepherds.
My point is that everytime the Argentinian government talks about the rock is when they have popularity problems with their citizens.

It´s just a rock, and is populated, and the people in that rock are british and want to stay beeing British. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California used to be part of Mexico, I don´t see the citizens of those states or the Mexican government asking for the land to be returned to Mexico.

That is my point, the people living in there should decide what they want.

[donKey jote]

Last I heard was the Falklands do have oil prospects and certainly have loads of fish in their ( British) waters (which the Spanish pay to plunder :

Unlike that other rock of course... Gibraltar

[jarrambide]

Last I heard was the Falklands do have oil prospects and certainly have loads of fish in their ( British) waters (which the Spanish pay to plunder :

Unlike that other rock of course... Gibraltar

Don´t even start with Gibraltar DJ, or I will have to start shouting, "Euzkadi no es España"

[jarrambide]

Don´t even start with Gibraltar DJ, or I will have to start shouting, "Euzkadi no es España"

Many of my friends find Gibraltar a nice place to visit, I just don´t seem to grasp all the beauty of the place, yes Gibraltar Rock is nice, but I have seen more impressive things in my life, a placeto see the sea from high ground?, been there done that, to mee the only different thing about the place is beeing technically in Spain and hearing everyone speaking in English.