Congratulations to the people of the Falklands

I, for one, am glad the Falkland Islanders had their referendum and pleased they wish to remain British.

Its now up to the weak Cameron to put the sort of Naval and Air assets down South that would end any more Argentine colonial agression in short order.

There is a significant long term problem with one airfield and a long and predictable supply chain ....

30 years ago the world thought we were finished

Defence is about deterrence - at least the non-bloody variety.

30 years ago the ruthless bloody Argentine dictatorship thought there would be, indeed could be, no response from the United Kingdom that was in its last death throws of industrial decline.

So they decided to give the corpse a kick, knowing their could be no consequences.

If anyone else that Margaret Thatcher had been prime minister they would perhaps have been right. Maybe the Generals though that having a mere woman as prime minister was just the confirmation of the decline of Great Britain that they were depending upon.

They clearly hadn't studied Margaret Thatcher too closely.

But on this day thirty years ago the United Kingdom had a leader who could provide the clear direction and enabling support that our military needed to unleash their talent.

It must have been terrifying to see the alien Argentine invasion of your home that the Falkland Islanders had to see, knowing that ultimately the invade would be looking to exterminate your culture, language and quite possibly life. Argentina was a country ruled by evil that has kept the desire to crush and destroy a neighbouring country, just to satisfy their ego's, to this day.

But they were not left in darkness and despair. And today we need to remember those British service personnel who paid the price of that response that brought a new dawn to the people of the Falklands. They have bought just short of 30 years of peace and dawns - each one free - over the Falklands.

We have to ensure this continues.

Escalation in the South Atlantic

Is something up in the South Atlantic ?

A planted question was used in PMQs to allow the Prime Minister to accuse the Argentines of colonialism and that he had been discussing military issues.

This looks like a public warning to Argentina.

The next question is why is it necessary ? You have to assume the military threat has increased. Does HMG have intelligence suggesting trouble ? ( Any linke to the Star Princess being sent back recently ? )

We won't be told, but its starting to look like something is string down there.

If so act now and act decisively.

It was encouraging to see Argentine aggression called by its proper name by David Cameron - colonialism. The appropriate squeals have come from the Argentine govt, but its time the world was made aware that the Falklands are 400 miles away from South America and their people have as much right to their homes, customs and government as those of the United States of America or even Argentina itself.

But it is also an olive branch, if Buenos Aires was capable of seeing it. A similar declaration of no selfish interest as has been made over Northern Ireland. The task for Argentina is to persuade the Falkland Islanders of the merits of being in their country as opposed to the UK. the more they try to bully, the closer the Falkland Islanders will cling to the UK.

Update: It looks like acts of provocation, aggression and bullying are being planned by the thuggish government in Bueno Aires. See here.

Argentine aggression and colonial ambitions are getting bolder

The problem I have with the current UK position on the Falklands is you just can't see it going well.

The underlying problem is the rabid aggression from Argentina against the inhabitants of the Falklands.

UK policy should be to reverse this misunderstanding, as its the well of future disputes.

The Foreign Offices policy of not upsetting anyone just isn't working and isn't going to work.

It was Labour that cancelled the Sea Harrier and made reinvasion impossible

Again we have the selective amnesia of left wing supporting BBC reporters giving a false impression on radio reports this morning.

Lord West ( a govt. minister under Gordon Brown ) is banging on about the scrapping of the remaining ground attach Harriers in the context of our being unable to retake the Falkland Islands again.

What he's not telling you is that the scrapping of the Sea Harrier by Labour removed from UK Carrier operations the only half capable air defence and air superiority fighter available. This decision alone effectively stopped any future operations to retake the Falklands. ( The ground RAF ground attack harriers in the Falklands suffered painful loses as the had to press aggressive attacks against targets that could and did shoot back. )

Remember - if a new Argentine invasion were successful they would have two airfields ( one with full air force facilities and able to operate fast jets with large range ) to operated their recently modernized air force from against our vastly reduced Navy with only the air defence that type 45 destroyers could provide. Frankly we couldn't retake those islands even with ground attack harriers on Invincible class carriers.

Before that point Britain would have suffered its biggest defeat since Singapore and our Govt would have fallen.

This time the Argentines would be properly prepared to strangle our very long and poorly defended supply lines.

In short lose the airbase at Mount Pleasant and recovery by conventional military action would be impossible - with or without ground attack Harriers.

About the only useful role of Harriers slender to be already deployed to the Falklands so that destruction of our runways would not mean complete loss of counter invasion strike capability. ( Remeber this is all about deterrence of attack - on which subject it was unfortunate that the coalition forwent the first use of nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear power as that removes another uncertainty from Argentine military planning. )

Things are, as you see, not even close to as reported by the BBC.

The long and short is, as in Crete, lose the airbase and lose the islands. Everyone understands that which is why its so precarious. The Argentine military will know it needs to have a plan which will lead to the denial of the Mount Pleasant airfield from day one without a warning build up of forces. A special forces attack and stand off missiles would seem to do the trick - and Argentine military equipment is rumoured to have been found on beaches not far from the airbase. Thus one morning the British people will wake up to find the Falklands can't be resupplied or defences bolstered, but the end of the week they will have the surrender of the Falklands and the fall of the UK Govt to cope with.

It will take a lot more than three RAF Typhoons to prevent this and the current Harriers being retired would not impact the invasion unless they were ground based in the Islands ( which would be by far the best use of them ! ).

See also Decision to scrap Sea Harrier comes back to haunt, Threat to the Falklands and Sea Harrier over the Falklands

BBC Admirals urge rethink on Harrier and Ark Royal cuts

Further: My guess is the Admirals real target is the preserve the fast jet capability of the Fleet Air Arm - which whilst the FAA is a very admirable organisation ( indeed one of the UK's best and could teach the RAF a lot about running a tight ship - couldn't resist the pun ) it is a selfish motive that does not serve the country.

It is also possible that this is part of the low level snipping that Labour are trying to carry out to question and take the gloss off every Coalition decision.

( Will edit this latter - no doubt typos etc are over this pda typed post )

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Real UK interests betrayed by the US Obama administration yet again !

The anti-British Obama administration has found another way to stab its loyal friend in the back.

This time its calling for talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands with the aggressive Argentine regime.

Read it here....

This is another reason we need to be out of Afghanistan - there's no credit to be gained from an administration that is rabidly ant--British and there are real defence concerns that they clearly won't help us with.

Maybe a new US administration will restore the Atlantic alliance, but we can't rely on it.

Gordon Brown's weakness risks disaster in the South Atlantic

Over the years I've done a number of posts on the Falklands. I've tried to point out how Labour's defence policy is driving us to a bloody disaster.

Today we have confirmation that Labour is doing nothing to counter claims over UK territory. The next logical step for Argentina is to stop the oil rig moving south to the Falklands.

This will be easy for them. After all Labour's politically correct Royal Navy with equal opportunities and iPods for all has failed on every challenge recently:

eg The HMS Cornwall humiliation and the kidnap of the British couple from their yacht - floating right next to a Royal Navy vessel equipped with Royal Marines.

This sort of craven weakness invites aggression.

Here are a number of past posts on this subject:

Thursday, April 13, 2006 Threat to the Falklands again
Monday, April 17, 2006 The Battle for the Falklands
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 Blair dangerously weak on the Falklands
Friday, July 14, 2006 The Economist article on the Falklands ( War of words )
Monday, October 16, 2006 The decision to scrap Sea Harrier now comes back to haunt Blair
Saturday, March 31, 2007 We need to decide what were about.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007 Lest we forget 25 years ago
Sunday, April 29, 2007 Spanish Ambassador stabs Britain in the back
Argentina pushing its colonialist and aggressive claim to sea bed between Falklands and South Georgia
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 National security - but no mention of the Falklands
Tuesday, July 08, 2008 A threat to the Falklands ?
Sunday, December 07, 2008 Does Gordon Brown want the Falklands to be invaded again ?
Sunday, January 17, 2010 Military manoeuvres
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 We need to watch the Falklands a bit closer

Lets be clear any weakness will be punished by disaster and we have the weakest dis-functional government this country has had in living memory.

We really can't go on like this !

We need to watch the Falklands a bit closer

There are a number of things combining to make this a very dangerous time for the Falklands:

1. Economic crisis in Argentina make banging on about colonial claims to Las Malvinas good Argentine politics.
2. UK forces are stretched, and the navy reduced.
3. The Argentine airforce has re-equipped, and challenges UK airspace regularly - including over flying.
4. The UK is heading to a time of political crisis with its upcoming general election.
5. The Oil reserves of the Falklands are now considered to be massive, and a very tempting target for Argentina, as well as the potential to claim the rest of the British possessions in the South Atlantic.

Argentina is setting up a sort of partial-blockade right now.
In the short term the government needs to give clear and unequivocal support to the Falklands by:

1. Sending nuclear subs south.
2. Up the Royal Naval surface patrols.
3. Up the RAF aircraft numbers and supplies in place.
4. Giving clear political support.

But in the medium term some sort of solution should again be searched for. Remembering that the UK objective has been the freedom, nationality and self determination of the Falklanders.

Something like Falkland Islander autonomy within Co-dominion might work if it became the settled will of UK & Argentina. The Falkland Islanders would have full control of internal affairs - especially immigration, but resource exploitation etc would have to be by agreement of the two sovereign powers.

Other ideas should be tried also, but any aggression should be met with the full spectrum of UK military response ( including Nuclear ).

The worry is with the Labour government so weak and distracted it will not give this the attention it needs. As the poster says "We can't go on like this", or at least if we try the results could be very bloody.

Does Gordon Brown want the Falklands to be invaded again ?

Eventually the bull shit from Labour will have a real cost in terms of territory and lives. ( Of course it already has in Iraq and Afghanistan ).

Today we learn that the Royal Navy can't spare a war ship for the Falklands. At the same time the force commitment down in the South Atlantic looks very bare.

Its almost as if Gordon Brown wants to hand the people of the Falklands over to their enemy as part of some sort of spite he held back from the 1980's.

David Cameron should bring this up in PMQs.

Update: The ship that was to be sent to the South Atlantic has been diverted to the EU Navy of Somalia - the BBC proudly announces that "The operation is the first EU defence mission commanded by a Briton", so thatsmakes the destruction of the Royal Navy all right then.

I wonder if the French and Germans will be willing to take the loses we endured in the South Atlantic to come and help their EU partner ? ( For those who are even wondering the answer will be No ).

A threat to the Falklands ?

As Mrs Kitchener is losing support in Argentina its time for the old solution of using patriotism to bolster support (sound familiar). Argentina is threatening military expansionism again.

Will Labour be the party to see the loss of British Territory to military aggression ?

They should send further forces South, and they shoudl never have scrapped the Sea Harriers. The defence of the Falklands now obviously rests on one airbase with four Tornado ADVs. If that doesn't worry you a lot then your not really thinking it through.

Argentina has been getting progressively more aggressive over the last few years. We ignored the warnings once before, and its cost hundred of young men their lives. I'd like to believe our foreign office and the MOD learnt its lessons, but with Gordon Brown and Des Browne in charge you can't have much confidence.

Argentina pushing its colonialist and aggressive claim to sea bed between Falklands and South Georgia

Just in case anyone thought that Argentina had discovered democracy and self determination of peoples .. see here.

I wonder if this will make Gordon Brown's National Security Council - probably not as its mostly a public relations exercise to deceive the British people that he cares about such things.

The UK government should remember that appeasement is what triggered the last Falklands war.

Spanish Ambassador stabs Britain in the back

The new Spanish Ambassador to Argentina is reported as offering Argentina unconditional support in her desire to colonise the Falkland Islands - as reported over on Gibraltar's Panorama site.

Remember Spain is supposed to be a fellow member of the European Union and a NATO ally.

To make matters worse Argentina looks like pursuing her aggressive desire to colonise the Falklands in the UN general assembly. No doubt cynically calculating that support for the UK will be weak due to the war against terrorism.

Its time for the UK government to be more positive about the Falklands. They are 350 miles (550 kilometres) away from Argentina and have as much right to self determination as Argentina does itself.

Personally I think in the long term, assuming Argentina remains a functioning democracy under the rule of law and cultural guarantees were offered then Falkland Islanders might look on her as their eventual protector. However - that is only if they wish it.

Argentine bullying and aggression will have the opposite effect on them.

Its time the UK government set on an alternative course of action to get full acceptance of the sovereign rights of the Falkland islanders. They should call Argentina's moves aggressive colonisation and perhaps question whether some of Argentina shouldn't be handed back to its indigenous population - before Spanish colonisation. Only then will Argentina stop the diplomatic and sometimes physical aggression and the scene may be set for a settlement - in the distant future.

The UK government should also look to punish Spain for her disloyalty to a fellow NATO and EU memeber. Of course the foreign office will instead seek to carry out the policy of Britain's Enemies within her government.

Lest we forget 25 years ago

Its worth watching this old ITN film on the Daily Telegraph's web site. Think about how it makes you feel to see British people enslaved in their own country.

Then never forget that feeling, because its the memory of it that will keep us safe. Note the Nazi style suppression of the population and the instant attack on the culture of the islanders. If you want to prevent that happening you need a capable and professional military.

Let us also be thankful that Mrs Thatcher and not Mr Blair was the prime minister at the time.

I have tried to explain the Falkland islands war to friends in Europe and I often mention the picture of Argentine personnel carriers driving up the wrong side of the street past a woman pushing a pram. I explain that that picture created hot and then cold fury in the UK. The Argentines were in a lot of trouble ever afterwards.

The difference between us and the Argentinians was - and continues to be - our attachment to the people of the Falklands.

Incidentally the BBC keeps ending almost every item on the Falklands with a statement that military conflict could not happen again. However there are signs that Argentine special forces may have been on the Islands recently. The islands have been over flown by their air force which also tests out the RAF.( Why does the BBC trot this stuff out - state it as fact - but never justify itself ? )

As I've said before I'm not against an eventual transfer of sovereignty - if the people of the Falklands will accept it and sufficient guarantees that the sort of thing you can see in the film above never occurs again. The current head banging government in Argentina is very unlikely to pull off that particular diplomatic success.

Update: See this essay from an Argentine perspective explaining why Argentina will never gain the Falklands by Professor Carlos Escude. I don;t agree I think the peaceful friendly approach - with a bit of imagination ( think Svalbard / co dominion / Andorra ) could work. My Mother is just back from holiday in Argentina as she has nothing but good things to say about the people she met there. If the Argentine people can reassure that they don't want to colonise the Islands then perhaps there's scope for progress - albeit very slow progress.