We should know soon as if to whether the Islanders wish to stay how they are. I bet that they will stay as they are but I wonder if Ms. Kirchner will lose the plot after the results are published.

You can't lose something you never had.

The fate of The Falklands will depend on what the US government decides. At some point I think they'll decide the islands rightfully belong to Argentina and say so in no uncertain terms (after signing up an oil / mineral exploitation agreement with Argentina) leaving the UK isolated.

If we get any $hit off the septics, we could always invade them and bring them back into the Empire. Who do they think they are

I'd put a relocation package for the couple of hundred islanders to move back to Herfordshire.
Even put an optional flagpole up in all their back gardens so they could merrily flutter the union jack.

You're going to need some penguins too, and a complete lack of any other facilities, Cumbria would probably suit them better.

Or Withernsea.

Can we trade them with the Wezzie interlopers?

Better still, Cumbernauld, mind they my find it a little bleak...

or we could just go and bomb the c**p out of the Argentine armed forces and their presidential palace/ parliament.
sorted.

It'd solve our unemployment problem.

Only problem is, the US haven't asked for our support there yet.

If we get our intelligence services into Buenos Aires I'm sure we'll be able to find a reason within 40 minutes?

The Islanders have voted to stay British so that's Ms. Kirchner fuming I bet.

I wouldn't have thought she'd be very surprised.

I don't think she would see it as having any bearing on Argentina's claim.

That is already being said. The claim is territorial and has nothing to do with who lives there. Not sure how the work that one out given Argentina is a product of Spanish colonisation itself and Spain agreed to Britain's prior claim on the Islands in 1771.

The history is quite interesting.

In 1820 a Colonel Jewitt who was basically a privateer claim the Islands on behalf of The United Provinces of the River Plate but it is thought he was acting off his own bat for his own motives and The United Provinces of the River Plate never actually laid claims to the islands as a result of his visit and where seemingly unaware of this.

(The United Provinces of the River Plate which is basically the southern part of Argentina today but back then wasn't part of what was the new country of Argentina.)

Around 1824 a colony was set up by Luis Vernet who had also come from The United Provinces of the River Plate Vernet was aware of the Britain's claims and asked Britain's permission via its consulate in Buenos Aires to go there. He set up a colony which is the main basis for Argentina's claim today. In 1829 The United Provinces of the River Plate declared him military commandant and this got Britain's back up and protests were made back in Buenos Aires.

Britain went back in 1833 in an expidition led by a Captain Onslow and a bloke called Brisbane. They told administration to leave and to take the flag of The United Provinces of the River Plate down. Which is what happened. Argentina contends Britain booted the Argentine colonists off the island but apparently that didn't happen and the settlement remained. What did happen later was some bloke called Rivero and his gang killed some five of the colonists including Brisbane due to disputes over pay and conditions. In 1834 he was captured and sent for trial in London but got off because of typical British quirkiness that it was basically the wrong court to try him him (The Crown Court's never had jurisdiction over colonies). Rivero is considered a folk hero in Argentina for rebelling against the British but he actually rebelled against the colony set up by Vernet. Vernet's colony never recovered from the set back and basically failed and from then on it was the British who began to set up military outposts and so on.

Argentina as such didn't exist at the time and the current Argentinian constitution only came into force in 1853 minus Buenos Aries and the south which left the confederation of states that was supposed to make up Argentina. Argentina more or less as we know it today only came into being in 1861 when Buenos Aries rejoined the confederation.

I like how they are saying Argentina should respect the democratic process whilst SKY seem determined to find the 3 people who didn't vote in favour! Why? What will that achieve other than possibly ostracise them?

Sky or anyone else should respect the concept of the secret ballot.

Spot on. Though those 3 may have wished for an independent Falklands or some other situation rather than being a part of Argentina.

It'll be that nice Mr and Mrs Galtieri and their son Derek at No. 12

Wonder what the new Pope's views on the islands is?

Who gives a ?

He's fully entitled to his views on the islands, whatever they are ... but beyond that it's nothing to do with him i.e. his position doesn't change a thing.

he believes that the Argies who died in the War are heroes for defending their land against British usurpers.

Yeah but look at it this way, his other beliefs are not rooted in logic either ... and they got him the top job in a whole system not rooted in logic.

Whoops, that's religion ... sorry.

Papal influence down the ages has waned from what it used to be by a very large degree. I did A level History years ago and the European history taught was dominated by the conflicts between the Papacy and European rulers such as Otto 1 of the Holy Roman Empire.

When you learn a bit of history from this time it soon becomes apparent the position of the Pope was more of a ruler than any kind of prophet.

These days while he doesn't rule in that sense it doesn't mean the Pope doesn't have any influence. You just watch if he says anything on the Falklands now how much it gets reported or is used as propaganda.