The Malvinas
Profile photo for Keith Allum Keith Allum Lived in London & South Coast (1954–2021)Author has 7K answers and 10.1M answer viewsUpdated 9mo
This Question has been beaten to death, but refuses to lay down and die.
They are not ‘The Malvinas’ anywhere but in the outpourings of Argentina and apologists for the Argentinian Junta and successor regimes.
The Falklands have been British long, long before Argentina ever existed.
They were never Spanish except in the minds of those who divided the unconquered undiscovered world into Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence, a ‘ruling’ having no force while the ink was still wet, far less centuries later.
Just to be clear, for the entirety of that time, it too was long before Argentina existed.
Similarly British landing upon, and declaration of sovereignty of, the Falklands happened long before Argentina existed.
In short, they were never, at any time in recorded history - at least anywhere outside Argentinian works of historical fiction - a part of Argentina.
They were just briefly - very briefly - militarily occupied by Argentina as part of a cynical politically motivated land-grab.
One designed to deflect the attention of the Argentinian public from the many and various failings of the then-ruling military junta, from the ongoing ‘dirty war’ to the massive mismanagement of the domestic economy.
Despite having been beaten - soundly beaten - and having surrendered, the current administration is still flogging the same dead horse.
Perhaps it’s patriotism, perhaps it’s propaganda, perhaps its being incapable of looking at dates, then doing simple sums, but the same ass-backwards logic constantly resurfaces.
The same self-serving lies emerge, like that annoying reminder of an unpleasant experience that simply refuses to flush.
I doubt this will make sense but it works like this (at least outside Argentina):
Repeating a lie doesn’t make it a truth, it just becomes a tired old lie. Trying and failing to steal what’s not yours, then bitching about having to give it back without even making a show of apology is not heroic. (In fact it’s the attitude, and action, appropriate to a petulant child.)
There is one last truth that can't be called ‘home’ because Argentina, collectively, is not at home to Mister Honest, and it’s this:
If everyone thought, and acted, the way Argentina does business the country’s many outrages before and following her defeat in the Falklands would have not been treated with forbearance and masterly restraint.
Why Britain fought for the Falklands
Why Britain fought for the Falklands
This is a contemporary documentary available on youtube. The goal is to extract from youtube for offline viewing.
- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/why-the-falklands-conflict-happened-episode-1
- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/falklands-conflict-at-sea-episode-2
- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/falklands-conflict-in-the-air-episode-3
- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/falklands-conflict-on-land-episode-4
- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/falklands-conflict-aftermath-episode-5
Falklands Conflict