Just THREE people want no UK rule in FI poll

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12 Mar 2013, 11:19 am

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Respect the Falklands' bid to stay British: Cameron calls on Argentina to leave islands alone as 99.8pc of defiant residents say yes to UK sovereignty with just THREE ballots objecting

Huge majority of 99.8% voted to remain a part of British overseas territory
1,513 voted yes while only three people voted no in the referendum
Some 1,517 British citizens out of a population of 2,900 cast their ballots

David Cameron today called on Argentina to respect the wishes of Falkland islanders to remain British after 99.8 per cent voted to stay an 'overseas territory'.

A total of 1,517 valid votes were cast in the south Atlantic archipelago last night, a turnout of 92% of the islanders eligible to vote.

In a virtually unanimous message of defiance to the Argentine government, 1,513 voted to remain under British rule, with just three - 0.2% - voting against the referendum question 'Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?'

Well, 99.8% of voters (on a 52% turnout) voted for the Falkland Islands to remain British.

Fairly decisive, I would say.

Loyal... to the core!

(Interestingly, at least one of the three people that voted 'no' wanted independence for the Falkland Islands. Just shows you how enormously unpopular the Argentine claim actually is.)

xenon13
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12 Mar 2013, 4:13 pm

That population is quite insignificant.

thomas81
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12 Mar 2013, 4:15 pm

xenon13 wrote:

That population is quite insignificant.

and their land even less so.

I wonder when the taxpaying citizen of the British isles would be asked a similar referendum on whether or not to let go of this economic limpet.

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xenon13
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12 Mar 2013, 4:23 pm

Two bald men fighting over a comb was it that was said about it. Thatcher is to blame for the Falklands War when she withdrew military assets and so forth from it in the name of Austerity and Belt-Tightening. She said to Argentina, "We don't want it, take it!" I for one think the Falklanders would prefer a place with trees.

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12 Mar 2013, 4:27 pm

similar to dangling a carrot in front of a donkey and hitting the donkey with a bat when it tries to bite.

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12 Mar 2013, 4:37 pm

Whether you consider their islands significant or not, they were significant enough to be a casus belli.

Furthermore, the population is, by definition, significant, because they are the people who are living on the islands and eligible to express a democratic opinion upon the constitution of their government.

Even the population of Pitcairn is significant when it comes to deciding on how that island is to be governed.

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12 Mar 2013, 4:40 pm

visagrunt wrote:

Pitcairn isnt a source of contention or a diplomatic liability in the sense that the Falklands are.

If it meant that the public purse could be fatter, frankly I would vote in favour of releasing all british satellites.

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12 Mar 2013, 4:55 pm

thomas81 wrote:

Hardly the point.

The point is that people who dismiss a population--any population--as insignificant are taking a very questionable position.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:01 pm

visagrunt wrote:

Hardly the point.

The point is that people who dismiss a population--any population--as insignificant are taking a very questionable position.

Yeah.

Argentina are the colonialists, the imperialists and the racists in this situation, not the British or the (indigenous) Falkland Islanders. The referendum was organised by the Falkland Islands Government, not the UK Government or anyone else. In addition, there were international observers present from about six different countries.

The history of the Falkland Islands and its founding is almost entirely bloodless. European settlement and colonisation of Argentina was unbelievably barbaric and bloodthirsty.

The Argentinian claim isn't entirely popular in Argentina either, and people that are more educated about the world know what's going on considering that their government is going down the toilet again.

Hopefully this will be reported on Argentinian TV and their government will realise how ridiculous they look.

(Incidentally, word has it that they were expecting a slightly higher 'no' vote as about ten more people than came to the ballot box actually support independence for the FIs, but chose not to vote.)

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12 Mar 2013, 5:10 pm

Tequila wrote:

(Incidentally, word has it that they were expecting a slightly higher 'no' vote as about ten more people than came to the ballot box actually support independence for the FIs, but chose not to vote.)

In other words they were browbeaten into not turning up? One wonders how high pro British sentiment really is in Falkland society, if half the colony did'nt even vote. Maybe a significant proportion felt they would be labelled as traitors. We'll never know.

By the way, I believe there was even a pro independence movement from within Pitcairn as the colony is cultivating its own indigenous culture, including a pitcairn dialect.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:13 pm

visagrunt wrote:

thomas81 wrote:

Hardly the point.

The point is that people who dismiss a population--any population--as insignificant are taking a very questionable position.

Put them on the next flight to GB and leave the rocks to the penguins as nature intended.

There is nothing of economic stimulus out there anyway.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:23 pm

thomas81 wrote:

frankly I would vote in favour of releasing all british satellites.

So your vote counts more than that of the people actually living in these places?

You forget that, these people just settled on the islands.

So you would endorse colonialism and imperialism then (in the case of Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands at least).

How very anti-imperialist of you. The Falkland Islanders are not colonists, nor are the Gibraltarians, Bermudians, Saint Helenians or the Turks and Caicos Islanders. In fact, they're actually far less colonist than the Australians, New Zealanders, Argentinians, Americans and so on.

The countries that stay British Overseas Territories want to remain so, with two exceptions. You might have a point with regards to the British Indian Ocean Territory base on Diego Garcia - what happened to the Chagossians was (and is) shameful part of modern British history. You could offer the bases back on Cyprus to the Cypriot government as well, if the Cypriots want that. As for the others, they all want to remain British. Hell, most of them have little to do with Britain. Only Saint Helena I think really has much input from Britain, and it is a very poor island. The Pitcairn Islands is, I gather, mainly ruled through New Zealand on a daily basis. A few of the others are hardly inhabited, and those territories in the Caribbean take on a ceremonial role and have far more of a U.S. influence than any influence of Britain.

The Falkland Islands more than pays its own way in all matters except defence, and if the oil initiative comes good, they'll pay for their defence through that.

Last edited by Tequila on 12 Mar 2013, 5:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:23 pm

thomas81 wrote:

Put them on the next flight to GB and leave the rocks to the penguins as nature intended.

Send you back to Scotland, you descendants of colonists.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:25 pm

thomas81 wrote:

Put them on the next flight

Ethnic cleansing.

thomas81 wrote:

There is nothing of economic stimulus out there anyway.

I'm sure the Falkland Islanders are thrilled with you, erm, 'concern' over the Islands' welfare.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:30 pm

thomas81 wrote:

In other words they were browbeaten into not turning up?

I think they were expected to vote, but on the day didn't. They should have expressed their opinion. I think the idea of an independent FIs is a good one, but there has to be a British military presence there in the case of any independence. To be honest, I suspect that independence holds no sway with the vast majority because it'll deny FIers the rights that they have at the moment. They more or less have independence in many respects. Bermudians don't want independence for the same reason - they have it pretty good under British rule and the British almost never, ever intervene in Bermuda's affairs and, from the little I've read on Bermudian boards, the locals there are grateful when they do (usually when their local government are acting like complete idiots).

I wish the turnout were a little higher, yes, but I don't think the result in any way would be any different. Almost no-one wants Argentinian sovereignty in the Falkland Islands, as this proves.

thomas81 wrote:

One wonders how high pro British sentiment really is in Falkland society

I've never, ever heard of any pro-Argentinian sentiment from the Falklands.*

OK, sorry, that's a lie - Argentina offered Argentinian citizenship to all 3,000 islanders. One Falklander took it up and moved to Argentina.

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12 Mar 2013, 5:34 pm

Tequila wrote:

thomas81 wrote:

Put them on the next flight

Ethnic cleansing.

since when did falklander start being an ethnicity?
:scratch:

thomas81 wrote:

I'm sure the Falkland Islanders are thrilled with you, erm, 'concern' over the Islands' welfare.

Are you seriously saying they wouldnt be better off in the British isles?

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