Was Thatcher's conduct during the Falklands War justified?
- Thread starter poului
- Start date
Hot damn that's debating...
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
Well, to be fair, the question isn't "Does the majority of the general public support the Falklands War?". I think we all know the answer to that is yes.
andy2002
To the Bat-poles!
The conflict cost nearly a thousand lives, most of them Argentine, so I wasn't a big fan really. Before the invasion the Tories couldn't have cared less about the place – they'd scaled back the Army's military presence on and around the islands to such an extent that a couple of Argies and a dog could have taken it (they were warned about this situation repeatedly). In the past, I think the government had even looked into handing the Falklands back to Argentina or even finding a way of power-sharing.
Yes, the rights and lives of the Islanders should have been protected but I'm not sure enough (anything?) was done diplomatically to end the conflict peacefully. Thatcher has blood on her hands over the Falklands and I'm dismayed to find so many people on here defending the hateful old gorgon.
Yes, the rights and lives of the Islanders should have been protected but I'm not sure enough (anything?) was done diplomatically to end the conflict peacefully. Thatcher has blood on her hands over the Falklands and I'm dismayed to find so many people on here defending the hateful old gorgon.
I honestly wouldn't like to hazard a guess and, besides, that's not the question being asked is it? It just seems a bit pointless to ask a load of lefties what they think of Thatcher's conduct, surely everyone can see that?
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
That's what I said.
andy2002
To the Bat-poles!
Can I politely suggest you edit out this hateful part of your post before I report it?
dylanredefined
Not a house elf a tiger
They were an unpleaseant fascist dictatorship and hopefully among the conscripts that got killed maybe a few who taken part in the dirty war got it as well .(we can only hope ).
It ended the junta and massively improved the islanders lot .
So justified cant see any alternative .
Better than blairs attempt to do pinochet .that was fucking embrassing why not just let spain kidnap him rather some half arsed legal
attempt .
It ended the junta and massively improved the islanders lot .
So justified cant see any alternative .
Better than blairs attempt to do pinochet .that was fucking embrassing why not just let spain kidnap him rather some half arsed legal
attempt .
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
Seconded.
andy2002
To the Bat-poles!
I do hope so.
JHE
.
Not a bad analogy. However, (i) the Moroccans have, IMO, more justification in resenting the Spanish seizure of the Canaries in the 15th century than the Argentinians have in resenting the British ownership of the Falklands and (ii) even leaving aside Spain's membership of NATO, I think Spain could and would fight for the Canary Islands (or, indeed, for Ceuta & Melilla).
As with the case of the Falklands, it would not just be some question of land-ownership or some abstruse argument in international law about sovereignty. It would be a question of one's compatriots being invaded and the need to defend one's compatriots and their home.
(BTW, I think it is quite likely that Spain and Morocco will come to blows at some point.)
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
The conscripts were far more lilkely to be those who had family and colleagues killed during the 'dirty war'.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
1. At the time, they were not British and had no right to live in the UK. They became so after the war.
2. The same courtesy was not extended to the inhabitants of Diego Garcia when they were booted off their island to make way for a US military base/secret prison. The idea that this was in some way a moral war is a bit of a sick joke when you take the UK foreign policy as a whole. If the islanders had been black, there would have been no war.
3. It is high time countries on one side of the globe relinquished all claims to bits of land thousands of miles away. The UK should rid itself of the remnants of empire, both physical and psychological, as soon as possible.
Fullyplumped
in a personal capacity
There was an extensive programme of diplomatic activity to try and resolve the conflict peacefully. The 1992 Timewatch documentary "Woolly Al Walks the Kitty Back" is frequently shown on UK History and goes over it at length.
Be a bit mental if he wasn't, wouldn't it? He's been on here 3 years, accumulated 5 and a half thousand posts and decides to blow it all in a hail of racist insults
likesfish
You can't park here sir
quote from an ungentlemanly act great film
the war brought down a facist junta and improved the lives of the islanders at the cost of less than two thousand lives pretty good regime change
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
That is also my biasedleftwingview.
Fullyplumped
in a personal capacity
andy2002
To the Bat-poles!
Posters have done a lot worse on here so it would hardly have been a shock.
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
It was a joke, as the way it was written and the context clearly shows.
obanite
Kroketten
I kind of agree with this, but it's not just as easy as saying "ok, you can have the Falklands" when there's people living there already, is it? For a slightly more inflammatory example of that kind of empire deconstructing, look to the Middle East...
obanite
Kroketten
Why pointless? There are more lefties here true, but there's also a fair number of righties too, and even if it's biased it's still good to talk about these things. I've learned so much from just reading threads on these forums, left wing bias or not.
My understanding is that they did have a right to live in the UK until it was taken away by legislation to stop them foreigners coming over here (it applied to other British terrotories aswell). Taking away of this right was seen by the Argentinians as a sign that the UK was no longer interested in the Falklands and heavily influenced the decision to invade. Strange how this country suddenly cares when it can become a heroic national struggle. I wasn't alive then but the justification for the war seems to be a bit dodgy but at the same time maybe santions should have been given time to take effect. I think your right on point 3 but if the inhabitants of the Falklands chose to stay there they shouldn't have to live under a regime they don't want. In the context of trying to save British lives (not that British lives are worth more than anyone else)considering that there was a war on the sinking of the Blegrano was justified even if the war was not. Yeah that probably doen't make sense but I can smell food.
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
How about: "OK, you can plant your flag there, it's yours, just so long as the islanders get to run their own affairs".
andy2002
To the Bat-poles!
Thanks for the link – really keen to find out more about this.
Yeah "pointless" is a bit much, you're right. But it's a bit like asking a load of Tottenham fans what they think of Sol Campbell. I hope you understand that analogy, it's really the best I could come up with. I'm so tired.
very good point which i hadnt considered, although the americans did ask britains permission first (not that it makes the whole sordid affair in the Chagos any less dispicable, if anythjing it makes it worse
I wasnt born at the time so am not entitled to comment on "Thatcher's conduct", but my overall feeling is that the military intervention on the part of the UK was justified to defend British territory and nationals, and both sides are guilty of almost 1000 completely unnecessary deaths
Similar threads
