Above, during the Falklands war, HMS Antelope was under attack from Argentinean fighters but the ship fended them off. After the attack, an attempt to remove unexploded bombs from the hull of the ship was blotched and the ship’s magazines exploded and she sank. The above photo taken in this moment of her magazines exploding was one of the most memorable of the original Falklands conflict. The Ministry of Defense’s tight control over the press photos backfired as the above photo was splashed on the front pages by the world press which was starved of any genuine war images.
I have written a lot about the Falklands already (here, here). War clouds are gathering over the Falkland Islands again. From the viewpoint of the Civil Service, these are policy actions Mr. Brown can take:
Doing Nothing: Although it is predicted that the Falklands sit over 3.5 billion barrels of oil, the odds of finding oil in the Falklands are slim. The terrain there is similar to the North Sea, but the independent studies put the chances of finding oil there at 17%.
Take it to the polls: The islanders don’t want Argentinean rule. Britain should stage a referendum there and the results will be the same as they were in Gibraltar, which shut the mouths of the Spanish.
Ignore Americans: Barack Obama doesn’t really believe in the special relationship with Britain. It is not important, but what is important that Gordon Brown wants to believe in such a relationship. Instead of wobbling, Mr. Brown should convey to Washington that if the US does not support the British claims in the Falklands, he can also say goodbye to the British troops in Afghanistan.
Diplomacy: Britain needs its EU business partners (Royal Dutch Shell, Total of France) to lobby for its claims internationally. With Russian gas always unpredictable, a simple British pledge to make Europe its primary buyer (if oil is ever found in the Falklands) would immediately unite the 27-member EU behind it. The EU is Argentina’s second-largest trading partner (after Brazil, with which Argentina runs a deficit) and Argentina will easily yield to pressure with its current debt problem.
Gunboat Diplomacy: Britain still has four nuclear submarines sitting idle at the naval base in Clyde. The Ministry of Defense should mobilize at least two of them to the South Atlantic. Assembling an expeditionary force will send a strong signal while simultaneously deterring a war.
Electioneering War: Mr. Brown is a lameduck premier. This Falklands crisis is god-send to him. Tories will unite behind him if he choose a drastic course, and a war can lead to an election victory in still jingoistic Britain. It is imperative that the civil service should convey this information to its representatives in the United Nations. The international community must be convinced not to push the British government so far as to force Mr. Brown to send a naval task force.
Iconic Photos 
Don’t you mean they “botched” rather than “blotched” the attempt to remove the unexploded bombs…
Nuclear submarines? Give us a break! The British Weapons Programme that involved billions being spent after the War to insure…that 60 years later a bunch of sheep farmers in the south atlantic don’t have to learn Spanish? Really?
Meanwhile British troops are fighting a real war in Afghanistan.
Less of the warmongering, it’s time to negotiate with Argentina.
The British Lion has been willfully pulling its own teeth for decades. It no longer has the naval or military capacity to fight an engagement in the Falklands. It will not be tactically possible even if the will for it could be mustered.
There is a large, and growing, portion of America that doesn’t believe in any special relationship with B. Hussein Obama, please do not portray America as a representative of any policy expressed by whomever may be the President. Threatening to extract British support in Afghanistan is of absolutely no significance. If the Falklands were in any way similar to Thailand I could see supporting the effort, as it is, it seems an absolute waste of energy. Fighting for one form of Socialism as opposed to another because of a passport stamp change is hardly equitable to fighting for freedom from Communist rule.
Gibraltar español.
why??? ignorant twat. of all the tribes/nations that have ruled over the Rock, spain was there the shortest. get that chip off your stupid dago shoulder and spend more time worrying about the shit state your country is in right now.
Oops! You botched the word ‘botched’. How ironic! 🙂
Nothin but love for the Brits.
I agree with Eric.. please do not think every American is behind obammie and his communist agenda.
Times, they are a’changin.
Of course not every American backs Obama, but to call him a communist is just politically ignorant and shows a lack of knowledge of history.
I hadn’t realized that things were ramping up over in the Falklands. This site is always so imformative, and it always teaches me something new.
Malvinas argentinas.
“which shut the mouths of the Spanish”
Are you kidding?
The Gibraltar cuestion is an unclosed affair between countries of the European Union that probably will have the same solution than Hong kong.
that solution will only come with the absolute consent of the guardian of The Rock – The Gibraltarians!
Argentina no quiere ninguna guerra, solo los britanicos hablan de eso. Argentina solo quiere sus islas que fueron robadas, las “Malvinas Argentinas”. Basta de colonialismo.
Its a shame, the blog is awesome, but your position pro war, sucks…
I say sail on! Rule Britannia! As far as Obama is concerned who cares he’s not a real American and he hates England which is an un American idea too. I guess the Argentines didn’t learn from last time.
Hi there, I found your web site by the use of Google even as looking for a related subject, your web site got here up, it appears to be like good. I’ve added to favourites|added to bookmarks.
markizy makilux poznan