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    Don't Panic

    The Falklands- Time to pour oil on troubled waters?

    By Jacob Brookman | Don't Panic – Fri, Feb 17, 2012

    It's a difficult subject, The Falklands. On the one hand, they are geographically closer to Argentina - a lot closer. The UK is situated 7,800 miles north of them and Argentina is just 500 miles to the west. On the other, the Islanders see themselves as British.

    Residents show their allegiance to Britain by driving their vehicles with the British and Falkland Island flag …

    So when Sean Penn attacks the UK for the ‘ridiculous demonstrations of colonialism’ over the Falklands he is stumbling into an area many would say a pampered Hollywood actor has little understanding of.

    Former serviceman Simon Weston, who suffered 46 per cent burns as a result of an Argentine bomb during the conflict, simply dismissed Penn as an ‘idiot’.

    Putting the war aside for one moment, similar overseas territories like Gibraltar, Bermuda and Pitcairn Island exist across the globe. They are cultural oddities, often seeming more British than Britain. These are colonial remnants; anachronistic entities that no longer hold much strategic value, and which often require expensive policing at the behest of the citizens.


    [Related story: Sean Penn in Team America territory after Falklands rant]


    In this respect, the UK has the position of a benign and remote protector.

    However, what seems to be a game-changer here is the discovery of oil, and with the UK’s Rockhopper Exploration PLC establishing a drilling platform in the Falklands Basin, a sensitive diplomatic situation has become even more volatile.

    The Argentina of today is a different country to the one which invaded the islands in 1982. Despite a stuttering economy, the population is well educated, secular and they even have a liberal female president. No junta here.

    Furthermore, Argentina ranks second highest in the Human Development Index in South America. This index measures countries on their level of health, education and welfare. Argentina is now on a par with many European countries.

    Also, does Britain which has a severely reduced Navy and huge national debts really want another conflict?

    The prospect of incredible wealth under the waters of the South Atlantic should spur diplomats to seek a solution where both nations and - just as importantly - the islanders would benefit of this unexpected but welcomed bounty.

     
    • ukathleticscoach
      ukathleticscoach  •  Manchester, England  •  3 months ago
      ...and one more thing. Sean Penn should get out of America and leave it to the native Americans!
      • Carrington50
        Carrington50 3 months ago
        Beware what you wish for! If all non native Americans left America for the native Americans, many millions of fat, big-headed, prejudiced Americans would end up back in Britain. We wouldn't want that would we!
      • D.
        D. 3 months ago
        Not as many as in Ireland,Germany, Poland and Russia to name just a few!
      • Busby
        Busby 3 months ago
        These two have just beaten me, I don't think there are too many \native Americans out there.
    • V for Vendetta
      V for Vendetta  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      It matters not one jot what Sean Penn or the Author of this piece think, it matters not one jot what Joe Public think either here or in Argentina. What matters is the views and thoughts of the people who live on the Islands, as they do not wish to be governed by the Argentinians (probably ethnically cleansed in the future to allow oil exploration by the same Argentinians) they will continue to be British. That means they are to be afforded protection from aggression, they are to be allowed to trade unhindered by blockages and illegal trade sanctions etc etc. If they were to chose in the future to be Argentinian (cannot think why as they have nothing in common with that country) then so be it. Of course they could decide to be governed by neither Nation and become a state in their own right, and that would kill any argument stone dead and afford them the protection of International Law.
      • Alex O
        Alex O 3 months ago
        That is like saying that squatters have the right to claim ownership of a house
      • V for Vendetta
        V for Vendetta 3 months ago
        What are you on! Look the Islands were "inhabited" by British Whalers and their families BEFORE the country of Argentina actually existed. So how can you compare squatters and the fact the Islanders are British by choice AND desire AND through ancestry.
      • J.
        J. 3 months ago
        You tell 'em, don't hold back you thief. Rule Brittania, Brittania rule the......rule what??? A Pygmy nation will not and can not rule ANYTHING.
    • Neville
      Neville  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      When Sean Penn and the rest of the American immigrants give back the United States to the Native American people then, and only then, will we consider giving up the Falklands!
      • Arthur
        Arthur 3 months ago
        Not to mention the likes of Okinawa, Diego Garcia, etc - which have a substantial American presence ......Penn's rantings sound to me a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
      • Nobody of Importance
        Nobody of Importance 3 months ago
        It's okay for America to do it though, because they're America. Don't do as they do do as they say.
      • Gary
        Gary 3 months ago
        Neville. The big difference is that Argentina never owned the Falkland islands.
    • Gremlin No1
      Gremlin No1  •  3 months ago
      As a Falkland vetran I am only gona say this once. Sean Penn go forth and multiply and you will NEVER be welcomed in the UK or the Falklands for that matter.
      • P
        P 3 months ago
        go forth and MULTIPLY DID NOT DO MADDONA MUCH GOOD COULD NOT KEEP HIS END UP
      • Tumbledown Survivor
        Tumbledown Survivor 3 months ago
        Well said Gremlin!
      • Achmed The Dead Terrorist
        Achmed The Dead Terrorist 3 months ago
        A sincere thankyou to the bravery of those who fought for and retained the Falklands in '82.It would be an insult to you and the memory of those who died,if the government give in to the whining of the Argies and the islands must be protected.....which is a lot harder with defense cuts and lack of equipment Mr Ca-moron!!!
    • John
      John  •  Jersey, Channel Islands  •  3 months ago
      This is very simple, Argentina did not exist when Britons decided to live in the Falklands, they speak English not Spanish, their culture is Anglo Saxon not Latino and they from everything I hear from them they wish to stay the way they are thank you very much. Self determination is their right or anyone's right for that matter whether you are nearly 2 Billion people from China or 2500 people from the Falklands, no difference, it is their right to choose.
      • Terry rhubarb
        Terry rhubarb 3 months ago
        There is a deal been made I expect of who is gonna take the biggest share of cash with the oil and gas. Thats all.
      • ALWYN
        ALWYN 3 months ago
        Would the Argentinians be so eager to assimilate the the Falklands if it were not for the oil prospects?. The previous interest was only a regime in trouble trying to divert attention away from its troubles by exploiting what the macho rulers thought was going to be a easy task when tackling a mere women. How wrong they were!. It is the Falkand people who have the right to say who they want to belong to.
      • DC74
        DC74 3 months ago
        Doubt they would bother if there wasn't the prospect of oil being found there, one thing though, I think it will be good for the economy of the Falklands it will be as there will be plenty of jobs for the locals, lets hope they don't get an influx of asylum seekers lookign to take their oil jobs off them.
    • BNP
      BNP  •  Birmingham, England  •  3 months ago
      Sean Penn what does it have to do with that idiot that live in a dream world ,,, shut up penn you tit
    • PlainSpeaker_intheNorth
      PlainSpeaker_intheNorth  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      OK, firstly let's dismiss Sean Penn for his irrelevant opinion. Good. Next, what do you mean "discovery" of oil? We've known for many years that there's a huge oil field under the Falklands. Thatcher knew it back in the day. Excellent. That oil field is the only reason Argentina wants those wind-swept, penguin-infested rocks that so many of our soldiers died or got maimed for. Well they can f*** off, and if they want to mess with one of our nuclear subs, I look forward to watching that play out on the news. We all know it's not going to happen. The Falklands are a British protectorate, not a colony. And we pay a heavy price to look after them. So if it becomes economic to harvest that oil, it belongs to us, not to f*****g Argentina.
    • bob B
      bob B  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      So Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney should belong to the French.
      Canada needs to be part of the USA, The Faroe Islands should be governed by Iceland or Britain not Denmark, and how about Greenland?

      What a load of rubbish the author is writing location has nothing to do with it. The islands belongs to the people who are naturally living there now and their wishes- end of storey!

      Argentina is totally out of order wanting to impose its rule. Hopefully the UN will tell Argentina that self determination is what the UN is about.
      Something's are worth fighting for the rights of the Falkland is one of them.
    • Gene Hunt
      Gene Hunt  •  Sao Paulo, Brazil  •  3 months ago
      The Falklands are a British sovereignty. They have been since before Argentina was officially named Argentina as a country. Argentina has no right to claim them whatsoever! The people on those islands are British and want to remain British.
      England must protect it´s own!
      Secondly, the oil there comes from English property. If the Argentinians want it so bad (to deal with the Americans) then they always have the option to buy it from us! They cant just start making more dumb claims, as they have done in the past, and expect us to just give it all to them and say thank you afterwards!
    • Ashdowner01
      Ashdowner01  •  East Grinstead, England  •  3 months ago
      For Gods sake Yahoo, stop raising pointless articles to fill space. We would no more cut the Falklands loose than the Isle of Wight and you already know that.
    • Graham
      Graham  •  Manchester, England  •  3 months ago
      I was born in the Falkland Islands that makes me a British subject and I want to remain that way bugger what Penn and any one eles thinks
    • Steven
      Steven  •  Rochdale, England  •  3 months ago
      Oil should not change the issue of self determination. The Falkland Islanders wish to remain British and so they should stay. If there is oil, forgive my somewhat jingoistic attitude, but good for us. It will help both our economy and that of the Falklands, allowing us to secure that area of the Atlantic for many years to come. Once this is achieved Argentine complaints will become irrelevant, if they aren't already, being no match for British Type-45 Destroyers or Typhoon fighter jets.
    • “Davy”
      “Davy”  •  3 months ago
      Simple facts
      British settlers settled on the Falklands before Argentina existed as a country " FACT"
      The occupants of the Falklands wish to remain as British "FACT"
      Argentina has no legal claims to the Falklands "FACT"
      The Falklands are British soil "FACT"
      We kicked Argentina forces off the Falklands when they invaded it "FACT"
      Our forces gave their blood and lives for that soil "FACT"
      So plain and simple we should not give up our entitlements to that Island which is British soil and if need be we should just knock some sense into their heads again.
    • Ian B
      Ian B  •  Sutton Coldfield, England  •  3 months ago
      1) It isn't a difficult subject! 2) The islanders dont "see themselves as British" they ARE British.3) Who gives a toss what Argentina is now? The Falkland Islands and its inhabitants are British and the waters around these British Islands are ours to get oil out of, if that is what we want to do... why is it even a topic for discussion?
    • Steve
      Steve  •  3 months ago
      This is all very interesting, but the facts are that Argentina has no claim on the Falklands, never did have and never will.
      Why are we even discussing it?
      And what is Yahoo's agenda when every second Talking Politics article that appears is on this non-subject?
    • kevin
      kevin  •  London, England  •  3 months ago
      Penn is a self-publicist just chasing the next cause and looking for adulation so he should be ignored.
      Why should Argentina benefit from any oil if extraction does turn out to be economically viable? If they did get rights they would not have the technology to extract it (enter American companies) and I doubt they would pass any of it on to the indigenous Indians and Aborigines.
      In terms the Falkland's proximity to the main land, didn't they steal the southern land by force from Chile?
    • TUSC
      TUSC  •  3 months ago
      Oil on the north western coast has been known about since 1941, dont make the mistake that this newly found when it is not, its just back then it was technology imposable to drill for it at the Time and still might be, as any one who's been down there and seen the storms they get, it would make the Icelandic storms look like a breeze.

      As for Penn don't take to much notice of him, he just paying back the oil companys in the USA who finance many of his early films, the USA as been getting interested in the area since Nixon and again with the Bush presidency
    • Nevskixx
      Nevskixx  •  Manchester, England  •  3 months ago
      I agree with Simon Weston. Penn=idiot
      The Falkland Islanders views are paramount of course, but even if one applied international law, with all its weaknesses, the UK has the stronger claim and Argentina next to zero. Kirschner of Argentina uses the Falklands issue as a means to divert attention from the country's severe economic difficulties, not least - its decline in oil production. This is more about Argentinian failure, than anything else. Britain must stand firm with the islanders and in memory of the British foot soldiers who battled hard to hold the territory
    • Andy
      Andy  •  3 months ago
      I particularly enjoyed that comedy Penn was in, the one where he played a self-important actor with his head stuck up his #$%$ he was in a boat pretending to save children but he took his own photographer with him and the boat began to sink. Great film, I LOL'd.
    • Timmytoo
      Timmytoo  •  3 months ago
      Just 500 miles-so that's just next door then!. There IS a way out of this. The way out is for the Argentinian government to stop trying to take the spotlight off their internal troubles by stirring up all this trouble over the Falklands. The Islanders do NOT want to be ruled by Argentina-end of story.Any lily-livered British Government that DID give the islands way would be slaughtered in the next General Election and all our MP's know it. There is, though, one exception to that, if the Lib Dems were in sole power they would have given the Islands away long ago.
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