The Falklands

This blog goes to tricky areas of politics. The Falklands, or Malvinas as Argentina prefers, are in the news again, after  nearly thirty years out of the public eye. There are two reasons. Oil and domestic difficulties of the Argentinian government. The British government has asserted that the islands will be defended if attacked. It has also refused to discuss the issue of sovereignty, for the very simple reason that most of the settlers are British and would vote to remain attached as an outpost of the old Empire. Hilary Clinton has offered U.S mediation to try and find a solution, but we have refused this. British public opinion takes the hard line by a sizable majority and none of the parties wavers from the determination that the islands are British. This blog is not comfortable with that.

I recall the short heroic war when the British Task Force won them back after the invasion. I supported the war to the hilt. There could be no justification or legality in taking them by force. I did feel and said that once we had thrown the invaders back into the sea to prove that military action did not pay, we must sit down with  Argentina and from our position of strength and enhanced moral authority, negotiate some kind of settlement which would safeguard the interests of the islanders and satisfy the historic claim that the Argentine inherited sovereignty from Spain, its former colonial power. Sadly nothing happened. It is ours. We are keeping it. That is that.

It is not so simple. The Islands are off the coast of Argentina, whose claim to sovereignty is historically as valid as our own. The islanders depend on Argentina for more or less everything in practical terms. The territory is at the other end of the world to the U.K. The acceptability of Empire has waned. But the British settlers make up the vast majority of the islands’ population and they want to remain British. Somehow a solution to all this must be found and sooner or later we will have to talk. No longer does Britain have international public opinion on its side. America remains neutral but tipped towards Argentina. For once I am inclined to think America is right.

So I would declare that any attack upon the Falklands would be repulsed and I would order submarines to the area just in case, but I would declare a willingness to find an answer. That would not be weakness. That would be common sense. Because if there is oil, the investment to extract it will be easier attracted if peace and legality is assured. It may mean sharing the wealth but a share is better than none. In the end Argentina and Britain have common ties, common heritage and common interests. We will share the benefit of common oil better if we are also friends. We have the strength to extend a hand. All we need is politicians with vision to see it and the courage to do it.