That seems like a false analogy.

Perhaps, but at 200 posts now, I don't feel like trawling through it!

I think you misunderstood. War is not ethical, it's killing people. Killing and maiming the enemy - the methods used don't change the fact that people are dead. You sit in a battleship near an island you just invaded - expect to get shot at.

The Argentinians weren't blameless either of course, but Galiateri (spelling?) had the same electoral problems at home as did Thatcher. When the only British presence was withdrawn he (as any reasonably intelligent person would have anticipated) saw an opportunity to please his proletariat.

Thatcher just followed his lead.


GOTCHA!!

So, out of curiosity, are you Falklands or a Malvinas guy?

I'm bi.

Full quote:
"They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations, because there is no such thing as an entitlement unless someone has first met an obligation"

It is an attack on the idea that people can rely on "society" (effectively, the state) to get by, when she thinks that the responsibility is with the individual and families, and then after that, your neighbour. I think when she said there is no such thing as society in that context, she meant that in the sense of it being a term (kind of like a buzzword) that people use to make themselves feel entitled to rely on the state for assistance without working or making an effort.

While that seems fair enough in the context of of benefit scroungers, in the other context of hundreds of miner's unemployed, this statement comes across as her stating "not my problem", which is rather horrible, and probably why she was disliked by many. The gov't should make life easier for those out of work by no fault of their own.

Good answer.

Thanks. Very helpful and good explanation.

She meant exactly what she said. To say that there is no such thing as Society is quite different from saying that people shouldn't rely on the State.

I agree that people shouldn't think that they can simply depend on the State, but I believe strongly that the State has a responsibility to and for its people.

Look, everyone and their dog knows Thatcher lied about it being in the zone, then when found out, she lied about it sailing towards and then when that lie was found out it "was a danger to our shipping." Did she have something to hide or was there some other reason for her weaseling?

And all this time it had been known exactly where it was and what direction and its capabilities.

That it was sailing away from the zone surely means that previously it was not sailing away and may even have been in the zone to boot.

There was ample opportunity to have fired previously when it was likely more of a threat.

One can only speculate why it was fired upon then rather than earlier when the "danger to our shipping" was apparently greater and its sinking, therefore, more justifiable.

Not really. It would be more like leaving your door open when told there was a gang of thieves in the vicinity.

I seem to recall the defense argument running along the lines of "we must have our weapons or our enemy will use their weapons on us" or "we employ our military to prevent our enemy invading."

It seems a little foolish, then, to be advised that removal of our military is likely to result in invasion, only to withdraw the military and then see the predicted invasion.

Does Thatcher strike you as being foolish? She was many things but I'm fairly sure that foolish wasn't one of them.

So what would you have done? It's a simple question

Has there ever been a politician who has divided opinion to such an extent? I genuinely hadn't realised so many people liked her.

OK, so when they steal from you, what do you then do? Was Argentina justified in invading?

I can't remember much about her time in office and I haven't had any reason to read up on it since she left. I doubt that Oxford graduates are lacking in intelligence; foolish is a little harder to decide upon