Did Anyone See Channel 4's Mummy's War?

[Kyajae]

I'm of an age who remebers the 3-day week under Edard Heath and the power cuts of the 70's and all the union strife under Callaghan. When Thatcher won a landslide in 1979 I remember a sense of turn-around in the nation, a bit like Balir's "whiter than white" speech following his election in May 1997

I wached Channel 4's program tonight about the Falklands War and despite still seeing Margaret Thatcher as a socially devisive figure, I can't help but compare her leadership at that time to the pathetic style we have under Balir (vis a vis the Iranian hostage sitauation).

We're not protesting outside the Iranian Emabassy, in fact as a nation , directly we're pretty apatheitic, yet in the pub this evening I spoke to enough people who beleived we should be "burning mosques the length and breadth of the UK"

Was Thatcher in fact a much stronger leader than Blair?

Mmmm?

[Fishface]

The programme never said how much it costs to maintain the island - anybody got an idea?

Is there any other reason other than *patriotism* to maintain it?

[vetran]

spit, fairness (tm)

The Islands wanted to remain British. We have to respect that (unless of course the Spanish want a British colony). If they had democratically decided they wanted to be Argentinian we would have probably given them a dowry.

[Denny]

I nearly lost my brother in The Falklands war. He was in the Navy serving on HMS Coventry when it went down.

[vetran]

Difficult to follow that really. At least he had the knowledge it was actually a legal and morally justified war unlike our little excursion into the Oil Fields.

Pity really, brave lads & lasses who will be made ashamed because of a politicians vanity.

[threaded]

The programme never said how much it costs to maintain the island - anybody got an idea?

Is there any other reason other than *patriotism* to maintain it?

Yes, the Falklands actually makes money for the UK, but you have to dig through the stats to see it, and in a few years will make seriously big money.

[sasguru]

I'm of an age who remebers the 3-day week under Edard Heath and the power cuts of the 70's and all the union strife under Callaghan. When Thatcher won a landslide in 1979 I remember a sense of turn-around in the nation, a bit like Balir's "whiter than white" speech following his election in May 1997

I wached Channel 4's program tonight about the Falklands War and despite still seeing Margaret Thatcher as a socially devisive figure, I can't help but compare her leadership at that time to the pathetic style we have under Balir (vis a vis the Iranian hostage sitauation).

We're not protesting outside the Iranian Emabassy, in fact as a nation , directly we're pretty apatheitic, yet in the pub this evening I spoke to enough people who beleived we should be "burning mosques the length and breadth of the UK"

Was Thatcher in fact a much stronger leader than Blair?

Mmmm?

And how does "burning mosques the length and breadth of the UK" solve the Iranian crisis, exactly?

[milanbenes]

'Is there any other reason other than *patriotism* to maintain it?',

there's oil under them there Falkland islands !



Milan.

[zathras]

I'm of an age who remebers the 3-day week under Edard Heath and the power cuts of the 70's and all the union strife under Callaghan. When Thatcher won a landslide in 1979 I remember a sense of turn-around in the nation, a bit like Balir's "whiter than white" speech following his election in May 1997

I wached Channel 4's program tonight about the Falklands War and despite still seeing Margaret Thatcher as a socially devisive figure, I can't help but compare her leadership at that time to the pathetic style we have under Balir (vis a vis the Iranian hostage sitauation).

We're not protesting outside the Iranian Emabassy, in fact as a nation , directly we're pretty apatheitic, yet in the pub this evening I spoke to enough people who beleived we should be "burning mosques the length and breadth of the UK"

Was Thatcher in fact a much stronger leader than Blair?

Mmmm?

Yes - because she had conviction. That does not mean she was right all the time. Blair has no conviction, except the conviction that he should be popular. Because popular desires are fickle so is Blair - He knows sending the SAS in to get them out will be unpopular since it the last military adventure which is so unpopular, so he does nothing.

A part of of me thinks we should find out where they are held and send in the SAS to get them out. Another part of me can't get over the idea that we are being manuipulated. That this has been engineered to provoke a confrontation to justify going to war against Iran.

[hyperD]

'Is there any other reason other than *patriotism* to maintain it?',

there's oil under them there Falkland islands !



Milan.

Indeed there is. And more importantly around the Antarctic region.

Once again, a war fought over oil. There was a very good book out by one of the major oil companies that portrayed the history of oil. What was interesting was that virtually every single conflict fought mapped very well with proven oil resources.

"The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile (370 km) oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves."

However, interestingly:

Torygraph

Argentina last night announced it was ending an agreement with Britain to explore for oil near the Falkland Islands in a worrying signal of deteriorating relations as the two countries prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of the conflict over the disputed South Atlantic archipelago.

Another war, vicker?