sounds about right to me

That chip must ache at times.

Spot on. Hong Kong was a different circumstance entirely.



As for the Falklands, the US government was torn between pro-UK, anti-communism and other factions. But let's not forget, they supported us behind the scenes pretty much from the off and when mediation failed, in public. Reagan always supported the UK but had to pussy around with the various factions within his government until he could declare his unilateral support.



Thatcher actually took a massive risk. There were serious doubts whether we could even win a Falklands war, and whether we should even bother. But let's put it this way. If, as Adrian Mole's father believed, the Falklands were located off the coast of Scotland, fighting back would never be in doubt. However, because those British citizens were located further afield, certain people feel we should abandon them to a country that has no real historical claim to the islands yet is willing to invade and kill over them.



In hindsight, yes it probably won her an election. But at the time? Only an true idiot would honestly believe she said "listen up, if we win this thing, will we win the next election?" especially when the recently released papers say otherwise.



I'm no Thatcher lover, but for me she made the right moves over the Falklands.

Apart from allowing them to be invaded in the first place. Then again the argies wouldn't have invaded and Thatcher would have lost the next election, so maybe she did make the right moves.

Interesting that planned defence cuts in the couple of years prior to the invasion hinted to Argentina that the GB government wouldn't be all that interested in defending the islands, on the other hand you might argue that the main cause of the Argentine invasion was of pure opportunity and of their own country's making, their "diversion from a dire economy" argument is probably very valid.



Which brings us to date - the circumstances and relations between the two country's are totally different these days, but how much do we now spend on defending the Falklands (one of my bro-in-laws has spent some time being stationed on defence duties there, the worst of his military career is how he described it), and going through some severe defence cuts now, just how many Falklands situations exist around the world now and what would be our response today ?

Some very good points have been made, and from personal experiance i can say at the moment oil exploration is happening. when i landed there in march this year. when you talk to locals total 200 in stanley. helicopters taking oil workers to the new remote positioned oil platforms, theres something there, in what quantity and difficulty for extraction is not my guess, but i think the place has great economic value to it. even with some of the worlds most expensive fishing rights on offer there. but trust me you would not want to live there. i lie about the 200 its more but it feels much less. But the islanders themselves are madly patriotic about britain. on the flip the junta in argentina at the time went to war to boost there polls and dismal economy. much like kirchner and the sabre rattling now that she is buying up oil companys.

Do the Islanders resemble this lot at all?

When my brother in law was there with the RAF he said that the most interesting thing about the Falklands were the penguins, they were also the easiest to speak to - mind, he was an MP in the RAF...

very true. its basicaslly the full cast from a league of gentlemen. when i was in the globe the only decent pub in that tin roof metropolis all the weopons on the wall that i instantly knew where british SLRs and rockets, where actually argentinian, we sold to them before the war, brought a tear to my eye at British pride. the penquins are fantastic here, but not the same as the Brunt ice shelf. Saw prince William as well in his sea king. sounds all exciting, but its a living nightmare if you dont like cans of beer only in a pub and women with more hair than a alpaca!

We went to save the penguins not the Falklanders.

As much rational to go to war as any judging by past events in the world

Not if the penguins NOW have WMD.