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Falklands’ referendum planned on ‘single constituency’

Saturday, December 4th 2010 - 03:20 UTC
Full article 38 comments

Despite a resounding ‘no’ nine years ago, from the Falklands’ Camp (rural) community, to the idea of a single voting constituency, the Islands government has agreed that the question will be asked again. Read full article

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  • xbarilox

    “the Islands government has agreed that the question will be asked again.” This translates into this: “London has agreed that the question will be asked again.”

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 07:28 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • J.A. Roberts

    Where did you buy your translation degree xbox?

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 09:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Zethee

    “This translates into this: “London has agreed that the question will be asked again.””

    Nothing to do with london, they have there own government.

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 10:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • WestisBest

    IIRC is was 51% of the Stanley electorate who voted 'no', I'm pretty sure it was a majority against the single constituency from both electorates.

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 10:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Wireless

    Well, it is the right of the Islanders to exercise internal self-determination once in a while, good to get these things confirmed by everyone. More power to their elbows I say.

    If only we would get a Referendum on setting up Regional English Parliaments, then we could stop the financial discrimination against English Higher Education Students for a start, and remove the direct control of the Scottish and Welsh MPs have over policy in England.

    We could certainly do with a bit more internal self-determination in England.

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 12:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    As Karl Marx would have said if he would have been a Malvinero:

    Kelpers of the Camp; Unite!

    The very same moment you relinquish power to those “City Slickers” at Stanley you are done, finito, cagados, kaput...

    Comprende?

    Fight to the last man against that monstrous despotic misconstruction called “Single Constituency”..............

    The swift implementation of a heavily ordnanced FICampDF is a must if your desire is to maintain your freedom !

    Your national Motto should be that masculine Chilean one:
    “By Reason or Force”

    Let the Stanley ”townies” adopt the emasculated Argentinean one:
    “In Union and Freedom”

    As “Che” Guevara Lynch would have said…..
    Camp or Death!

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 12:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • WestisBest

    I wouldn't have put it quite like that myself think. ;-s

    @1

    Much as it pains me to agree with Xbox there is a grain of truth in what he says, but not in the way he means it though.

    I understand that during the drafting of our constitution the FCO advised that a clause was put in that made sure that constitutional matters like this would be put to referendum to protect minoritys (such as the camp population) from being disenfrachised.

    So in a way you're right Xblox, London is responsible for the question being asked again....

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 12:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Zethee

    So now think believes the islanders should vote for there rights.

    ...I got the impression that he doesn't believe that the islanders have rights..?

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 05:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Monty69

    That's actually quite funny, Think.

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 07:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Funny?.........Well…………..

    That was the intention!…..

    But, if the Campers ever wish to secede from the Townies, they can count with full RG support.

    Our suggestion:

    Grand Malvine, Lafonia and all adjacent islands for the Noble Campers…
    All the rest of Solitude Island for you, Townie half-bloods….

    All revenue, present and future must be split 75/25 on Campers favor, of course.

    Square and fair democratic deal.
    Take it or live with the consequences…………..:-)

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 07:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Monty69

    Whatever made you think I was a Townie?

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 09:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Your predisposition for dialogue?

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 10:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Monty69

    You're letting your prejudices get the better of you, Think. Very disappointing.

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 11:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Prejudices?

    I'm an Argie Camper myself....

    I just fight him every day :-)

    Dec 04th, 2010 - 11:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Zethee

    I agree, think is a very camp Argentinian.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 12:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Redhoyt

    Democracy - difficult ain't it :-)

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 07:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    Not really.......

    By the way.............

    When is Britain getting it?

    (“The electoral system used through Britain is the single member constituency with simple majority, better known as the First Past the Post system.”)

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 08:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • stick up your junta

    We can do with out a lecture on democracy from the argies,did you vote for that nice baby kisser mr Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri think

    http://www.yendor.com/vanished/junta.html

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 10:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Redhoyt

    British democracy has had a lot of offspring ... some are bright, others rather less so!

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 10:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    • FPTP in effect wastes huge numbers of votes, as votes cast in a constituency for losing candidates, or for the winning candidate above the level they need to win that seat, count for nothing. In 2005, 70 per cent of votes were wasted in this way – that's over 19 million ballots.

    • Representatives can get elected on tiny amounts of public support. In 2005, for example, George Galloway polled the votes of only 18.4 per cent of his constituents, yet ended up in the House of Commons. Only three MPs elected in 2005 secured the votes of more than 40 per cent of their constituents.

    • FPTP severely restricts voter choice. Parties are coalitions of many different viewpoints. If the preferred-party candidate in your constituency has views with which you don't agree, you don't have a means of saying so at the ballot box.

    • Rather than allocating seats in line with actual support, FPTP rewards parties with 'lumpy' support, i.e. with just enough votes to win in each particular area. For example, at the 2005 general election, the DUP won nine seats on 0.9 per cent of the vote, yet the Greens won no seats, despite polling almost 16,000 more votes than the DUP.

    • With relatively small constituency sizes, the way boundaries are drawn can have important effects on the election result, which encourages attempts at gerrymandering.

    • Small constituencies also lead to a proliferation of safe seats, where the same party is all but guaranteed re-election at each election. This not only in effect disenfranchises a region's voters, but it leads to these areas being ignored when it comes to framing policy.

    • Because FPTP restricts a constituency's choice of candidates, representation of minorities and women suffers from 'most broadly acceptable candidate syndrome', where the 'safest' looking candidate is the most likely to be offered a chance to stand for election.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 11:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Monty69

    Yes, Think, all true, but plenty of advantages to FPTP as well, which I can't be bothered to list here.
    Last time this went to a referendum here we were offered a form of PR. It was thrown out by a majority in both constituencies. This was because the only way way we could get a Camp representative was if only one or two people from Camp stood, and everyone voted for them. What we need is for more people to stand, not less. I didn't actually vote for any of our current Camp MLAs. Never mind, that's democracy :-)

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 12:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Redhoyt

    Ahh .... working towards Independence :-)

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 03:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (21) Monty69

    The two main advantages of FPTP:

    Quick and cheap :-)))

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 03:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Ant

    The Malvinas are Argentine and belong to the province of Tierra del Fuego. England the usurped. The islanders must choose representatives to the legislature of the province is legal. United nations and especially Latin America which is where are -Malvinas - would agree and would recognize as legal.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 03:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • stick up your junta

    The Malvinas are Argentine and belong to the province of Tierra del Fuego

    In your little world maybe atom ant

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 03:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Redhoyt

    Ant - having a problem with reality ??

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 03:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Ant

    you have problems with reality, 20 or 25 commentators (1 drop in the ocean) are the current MercoPress. Mercopress anti-Argentine, pro-British. There is another world that says the Malvinas Argentinas.

    http://www.diarioshow.com/notas/2010/11/29/47459-malvinas-
    valuable-support-a-la-argentina.html

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 04:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Beef

    Ant - I suppose you would be in favor of your government taking their issue to the ICJ?

    There is another world that says the Islands are Argentine. But their are also people that believe the world is flat and that the Earth is only 6000 years old. There is a word for these people, “nutters”.

    Chile and Brazil appear to want to do business with ships heading to the islands so a claim of support from your other neighbors is not really worth much.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 05:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Zethee

    “When is Britain getting it?”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 07:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • stick up your junta

    An end, but not a beginning. For the Kirchners' personalised and capricious rule has exposed the flaws that still haunt Argentinean democracy after this twenty-five-year journey. It is partly a matter of the concentration of power in individuals; partly a lack of talent and of the will to delegate; partly the institutional search for obedience rather than competence in ministers; partly the lack of strong parties, and the preference for “movements”; partly the arbitrary and arrogant manner in which policy decisions affecting people's lives are taken; partly the opacity and the lack of accountability; partly the lack of debate and intolerance of opposition.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 07:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Monty69

    'The islanders must choose representatives to the legislature of the province is legal.'
    What are you talking about Ant? 'Must'?????Says who?
    And what is this 'Latin America' you speak of? We have been dealing with Chile and Uruguay for years.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 07:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Rhaurie-Craughwell

    Yes ANT as you said another world that beleives the Falklands are Argentinian, on earth we refer to this world, as planet Argentina.

    As yet scientists have been unable to ascertain whether it is home to intelligent lifeforms.

    The current posters hear however appear to answer that question.

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 08:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    that will always be the difference between Argentina and the British,
    we have fair and democratic elections, and they have what they are told,
    that’s why the argies bloggers constantly attack us,
    still, no sense no feeling lol

    Dec 05th, 2010 - 11:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Redhoyt

    Take it to the ICJ Ant ......... but you won't, will you!

    Dec 06th, 2010 - 12:51 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • lsolde

    Why won't you, Ant?

    Dec 06th, 2010 - 10:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • JustinKuntz

    Lectures in democracy?

    The most important thing in any democracy are checks and balances on the use of power, with no one branch having absolute power. The US model is somewhat superior with checks and balances between the Supreme Court, Congress, Senate and President. Better IMHO than the British model which concentrates too much power in Parliament but at least has an independent judiciary.

    Argentina on the other hand has too much power invested in the President, too much in the way of Presidential Decree. So just how many PD have been issued recently?

    Personally I find the FPTP system to be anachronistic these days, PR being more democratic. But PR has its pitfalls, such as giving a voice to minority parties like the BNP who do not enjoy popular support. It will be interesting to see how debate will go in the UK when the vote is offered to the electorate.

    Dec 06th, 2010 - 01:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    I’m sorry that the “bad news” about hydrocarbon exploration seem to have taken the sting of the important issue of Single Constituency.

    A serious suggestion for the “Camperos” campaign:
    Use the strategic geopolitical card as the farmers in the EU do….....

    Goes more or less like this:
    In the (un-Think-abke) eventuality that Oil doesn’t flow and that those reeking, fusty and stuffy Argies succeed in disrupting our thriving Fishing and Tourism Industry………………….
    The Camp would be our last resource and Safe-Haven…………
    It has served us well for 178 years!
    Let it provide us for the next 178!

    Get my point?

    Dec 07th, 2010 - 12:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • stick up your junta

    Argies succeed in disrupting our thriving Fishing and Tourism Industry………………….

    Think talking bollox again

    Stanley, capital of the Falklands, is a tiny British outpost where the absence of traffic lights and abundance of pubs in comparison to its size makes this a unique place. Indeed, armed only with hospitality, this rural community at the end of the world has no shortage of friendly locals
    http://www.adventure-life.com/cruises/ships/clipper-adventurer-qu-14/explorers-quest-via-the-antarctic-peninsula-2208/

    http://www.adventure-life.com/cruises/ships/clipper-adventurer-qu-14/explorers-quest-via-the-antarctic-peninsula-2208/

    http://www.adventure-life.com/cruises/ships/clipper-adventurer-qu-14/explorers-quest-via-the-antarctic-peninsula-2208/

    Dec 07th, 2010 - 02:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0

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