Good news and bad news.

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I know of Falkland Islanders who are eternally grateful that they can live the way they want to, not the way some politicians decide their islands should be run.

curious. Which politicians ? Surely British politicians should decide how it is run.

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Fair enough, if the UK government was aware of all this, why was the Falklands so poorly defended in 1982? It does seem that the government had failed in it's duties to the Islanders.

Because the intel was shite - despite the Argentine newspapers running "hypothetical" invasion plans, intel markers flagging up an invasion, and an Argentine Junta in desperate need of a perceived "easy win", it was not believed that they would dare to invade. Arrogance on our part.

The islands were treated as a garrison, with only a detachment of RM (who were ordered to surrender after having inflicted losses on a much larger force). The invasion was treated as an affront to the UK - Thatcher could not leave them in there, it was still a British dependancy. Plus there were the potential resources down there, and the strategic importance of the islands as a staging post for scientific expeditions (ie natural resources).

 

[Icy Gull]

Eh? She was the ULTIMATE American poodle.

No, Blair definitely wins that award, he was LED to war . Maggie made the decision herself.

 

[London Irish]

I don't make sweeping generlisations about either of these situations.

I think that's exactly the method you employ. You know a few people who came out of it OK, so that means there was no big problem in these communities.

 

[London Irish]

The "handing over of sovereignty" was not really that - it was co-ownership arrangement that was on offer. British control would be established and maintained, the Argentine flag would be allowed to fly. Appeasement by any other name.

You will see it again when you are in your bath chair at Eastbourne.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

323 died. 58 km outside when it was sunk - the aircraft onboard with combined weapons systems were within range, so they didn't want them to use the excuse that they could fire from outside the zone then run for home.

I thought the Belgrano was an ex US Navy Heavy Cruiser.....I diodn't know it had aircraft on board?

Where did they keep them?

 

[London Irish]

And please don't compare it to the second World War.

Even with all the dead people involved, the more appropriate comparison would be Rufus T Firefly's decision to lead Freedonia into war with Slyvania

 

[London Irish]

Because the intel was shite -

Ah, the all-purpose excuse, handy for all embarrassingly useless conflicts down the ages.

 

[Grendel]

Once again I have to say that there weren't any mass suicides amongst the miners in the north of England or the steelworkers either.

And I have to say that two of my friends grew up without fathers after Markham Pit closed.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Good news - Maggie Thatcher taken to hospital.

Bad news - she is likely to be released tomorrow.

I reckon the tests are to see if she has a heart.


"LONDON, England (CNN) -- Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been hospitalized after falling ill Wednesday afternoon, her political party said.

She would be hospitalized overnight at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where tests were being carried out, Conservative Party sources told CNN. The sources said she was expected to go home Thursday.

Thatcher, now 80, retired from public life in 2002 after suffering a stroke. She has suffered a number of minor strokes since then and has appeared frail in occasional public appearances.

Dubbed the "Iron Lady," she came to power in 1979 and led Britain until 1990, when the Conservatives dumped her as their leader in favor of John Major.

She was Britain's first female prime minister and the only British leader to win three terms in the 20th century.

She was named Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven after leaving office."

You dirty disgusting communist scumbag get off this board.

 

[ditchy]

I have no time for Thatcher, she cynically started a war as a last gasp attempt to win an election, and the sinking of The Belgrano was an embarrasment for this nation.

If the Falklands had been handed over peacefully your friends and relatives would have been unaffected. Currently the Falklands costs the taxpayer wasted millions every month.

does it ? i bow to your better knowledge El pres what wasted millions are those on ?

 

[ditchy]

Best PM in my lifetime and much more honest than the current bunch of tossers "running" the country.

I guess a lot of men can't yet cope with the idea of a woman being the best leader (or best at anything).

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

I thought the Belgrano was an ex US Navy Heavy Cruiser.....I diodn't know it had aircraft on board?

Where did they keep them?

Sorry, hands in auto again. Belgrano (ex USS Arizona) was not a carrier, the carrier group was in the North, the Belgrano was escorted by the Exocet Destroyers.

See, told you the intel was shite!

 

[Gritt23]

How can you compare a community of 1,800 people whose sovereignty was about to be negotiated away anyway with an entire nation of millions?

London Irish, my comparison is merely on the basis of entering a war to defend an country that has been invaded. By going to defend a country you are NOT starting a War.

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Ah, the all-purpose excuse, handy for all embarrassingly useless conflicts down the ages.

Yep, but true. Ignoring direct threats, popular opinion, etc can be described either as a failure of intel (which the Government said it was, and therefore not their fault AT ALL!), or having exceptionally large blinkers on......

Something which Tony seems to have learnt from his Tory forbears!

 

[Gritt23]

......and the Argies killed 6 million Jews did they? The two wars have nothing in common.

I call your TWAT and raise you a FUCKFEATURES

I refer the honourable gentleman to the post I made some moments ago.

My comparison is based on who threw the first punch, as it were.


I'll see your FUCKFEATURES.

So cards on the table.
Mine say - "The Argentinians started the Falklands War by invading the islands."
You say - "Thatcher started the war so gain re-election in 1983."

Hmm, not a close one, I think I win that hand. FACT.

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

You will see it again when you are in your bath chair at Eastbourne.

See what? The flag of Argentina flying over the South Coast? Only when El Turi is given the freedom of Southern England for being the most prolific scorer in the history of the Football League.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Sorry, hands in auto again. Belgrano (ex USS Arizona) was not a carrier, the carrier group was in the North, the Belgrano was escorted by the Exocet Destroyers.

See, told you the intel was shite!

LOL

My work colleague was sat on the bottom of the bay outside BA in one of our submarines and the Argies thought it was there, but couldn't find it and that was one of the reasons the main argie fleet never set foot outside BA harbour


If one of their main ships so much as inched out, the whole place would have gone up in smoke!

 

[chip]

Why do even bother to engage in these childish arguments?

.... more shit than a roll of Andrex could cope with ...

Argentina.

So you have a little book that contains all of the "correct" answers.

You argue in exactly the same way as New Labour. You don't tackle the point, rather one that you have some answer for. Along the way you drop in some key words, "childish", "Imperial", "truth", etc., with no reference to the context of the discussion. By attempting to demean the person making the original point, you hope to make yourself appear more believable. You assume that you know what is better for other people than they do when, of course, there are no absolute truths with opinion.

You also have the rather bizarre notion that your opinion is actually correct and happily miss the point that the people of Gibralta and the Faulklands want to be under British dominion. You would also justify your twisted logic with specious inequalities, i.e. 1800 vs. 1500 without any guiding principle.

You were probably bullied at school and not very accomplished academicaly. Perhaps you managed to get a grade 4 in GCSE French and this is your source of understanding modern democracy and institutions. Either way, when you quote someone try and actually deal with what they said rather than what you can address with your limited range of argument. Should France abandon Reunion or perhaps we should just leave the Pitcairns to it. No, thinking about it, you show precious little understanding of democracy or institutions.

 

[H block]

Or was she, one thing is for sure she hated the f***ing French and the krauts which makes her top of my charts.
Ian Hart News at Ten extremeley pissed!!!!!!!!!

Ian stop writing such utter drivel on here or I shall be forced to tell everyone an embarrasing story about you from your younger days. You are becoming more and more right wing and its starting to worry me..................``Don`t give the Paki`s money``........... ``I love Thatcher cos she hates Frogs and Krauts``.................... ``Genghis Khan was in the looney left``.................................. ``Bring back the birch``

Liberal my arse