scot47

Interesting to compare how the Colonial Office (now FCO) has dealt with Diego Garcia and with the Falklands/Malvinas.

Pulaski

One is a speck of land, in a strategically important location, with just enough room to build an airbase, the other is at the far end of the earth, close to nowhere of any importance, with more land than they know what to do with, other than graze sheep on it. Why would anyone expect the same policies be applied to both locations?

And yes, I do know what happened to the population of Diego Garcia.

scot47

In Diego Garcia the Colonial Office had no hesitation in deporting the population. Mind you that was to ingratiate themselves with Uncle Sam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Garcia

Gordon Barlow

It has been something of a human-rights cause celebre for decades. Such a blatant ethnic-cleansing exercise - incidentally - continues to inhibit British Cabinets from criticising certain other blatant ethnic-cleansings in selected parts of the world. As Scot47 said, the only purpose was to suck up to Uncle Sam. Sad but true,Pulaski.

Pulaski

It wasn't really "ethnic cleansing" as occured all too recently in the former Yugoslavia, and appears to be ongoing in parts of Africa, but was more of an "eminent domain" issue of seizing 23 sq miles of land for a military air base and naval support facility. It just happened to be an entire island/ archipelago that was seized. ..... I agree still unpleasant for those relocated, but not at all the same as people killing off their neighbours with tacit support of their government to make way for more people of the same ethnicity.

Gordon Barlow

No, no, I didn't mean "ethnic cleansing" in the sense of killing people - just (!) the physical expulsion of an entire ethnic community. Sorry for the confusion.

scot47

Shameful story. Perfidious Albion at its worst.

Pulaski

I wouldn't expect a different opinion from you. Obviously you were looking forward to the closure of Faslane too, as an "alien military encampment".

BritInParis

The removal of the Chagos Islanders from Diego Garcia is what Argentina would presumably like to happen to the Falkland Islanders.

Gordon Barlow

And there are fewer Falklanders than there were Chagossians - although the latter had the misfortune to be brown-skin people who didn't have any friends or relatives in Britain - or any oil under the surrounding waters.

Actually, I'm surprised the Argies don't hammer away at the Chagos precedent for all they're worth. Instead, they bang on about "the geographical imperative" - the Falklands are close to us, therefore we have a righteous claim to them. Like the Spanish and Gibraltar, of course... (For which there is a separate thread in BE's Spain section, if anybody's interested.)

scot47

I look forward to the removal of nuclear weapons from Faslane and the development of Faslane as a naval base for an independent Scotland.

Steve_

I always think this question is totally pointless, because the Falklands apparently have enormous oil reserves offshore, so I suspect what will happen as the oil is exploited is that large numbers of people will immigrate and it will eventually become an independent country, after all it has roughly the same land mass as Northern Ireland.

It's not going to be Argentinian or British. They might pay for the Royal Navy to defend them, but that's about it. Can't see Argentina being able to make a plausible case to invade if the population increases substantially.

Pulaski

That has been speculated/ rumoured for more than thirty years, but never confirmed or turned into actual oil production despite oil being priced at $100+/barrel for several years.
Try running that line of reasoning past the Kuwaitis.

CelticRover

Upping the ante once more.

Argentina will pursue judge order on Falklands drillers: minister

BritInParis

More meaningless sabre rattling. I take it the Argentine economy is still a complete basket case?