MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands names scientist as head of South Atlantic Environmental Research
The Falkland Island Government announced the appointment of Dr Paul Brickle to the post of Director of the new South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI). Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesAre they finally going to drum up some funds for the University of the Falkands or Stanley University?? It's been about time, and you can throw this institute under it's remit while you're at it.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 10:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0Now you just need some facilities and some students.
First step of many I hope.
I hope that Falkland is treading the road to full independence but I imagine it will take a century or two. In the meantime they will still need help with defence, at least with regard to personnel, hopefully money won't be a major issue in the near future.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 10:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0As I understand it the population there 175 years ago was about 30. It has increased by x100 in the intervening years, so even discounting migration to the islands due to new opportunities as they arise, you might be looking at a population of 300,000 in 175 years time which could easily establish and maintain independence.
With a Swiss/Swedish style citizens defence force and reinforcement from the UK if required, they would do just fine I think. They just need time and opportunity to develop. If their neighbours can leave them in peace and stop bullying them it will be fascinating to watch them grow.
@2 You have to pay for defence, and you do that through industry and trade. This is a good step towards both because educational establishments bring in the brains needed for industry to thrive, and this brings in the trade.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 01:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The problem with non-professional armed services is that history shows them to be quite useless. Better to keep a professional service i.e. the FIDF and just make sure they have enough equipment to keep the cost of war to a maximum.
Swiss/Swedish style hasn't as far as I know ever been proven useless, they do make a fine deterrent if nothing else. What with that and neutrality, nobody bothered them much in WW2. I accept that Falkland might not be able to go far armed neutrality, but 300 miles of water might serve just as well.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 03:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@4 I spoke to some germans, koreans and swiss about their national service and they all admitted it was relatively useless and a waste of 2 years. The koreans do get told they're a kind of master-race though, which is quite fun.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 03:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It's better we just spend the money on decent equipment and a well trained army. It's how the british have always done it and it's worked well until now.
Interesting fact, in WW2 the swedish tried to swap lorries for jewish people, and tried to get lots of jews out of Germany, to which they were rewarded by having UN Security Council Mediator and Swede Folke Bernadotte assassinated by the Israelis (they all got full military burials).
I think the best thing Falklands could do is build up their military with their economy, towards some kind of independence. It's a shame because at the moment they have pretty much no crime, but they cannot rely on the UK forever and ever and ever.
The Israelis assasinated somebody for trying to rescue Jews? I can see a sick and stupid kind of logic in there somewhere bunt it is buried under all the common sense. I am astonished.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 04:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 05 GreekYoghurt
Mar 06th, 2012 - 08:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Bit of a problem with definitions and dates here.
Israel did not exist until May 14, 1948. The people who carried out this attrocity, and I cannot find a reference anywhere else to it, were Jews, not Israelis.
As Jews (perhaps) living in the British Mandate of Palestine, they lacked their own Mandate.
I admire Israelis, they are at least consistent.
I know you claim that they hate us Brits, but again, I cannot agree with you and have never personally seem any evidence of it.
Would you rather have a bunch of cowardly rag heads 'with' you, or an Israeli Unit if you were ever in a fire-fight.
Bit of a no-brainer really.
The 'with' bit would be an illusion: they would murder their own mothers for camel shit.
@7 I understand you admire Israelis, but don't let it bias you about how their country was formed. about Israel declared independence in 1940, however the Lehi group was active from 1940 onwards, which included communications with the Nazi Germans on how they could fight on their side against the Allies.
Mar 06th, 2012 - 09:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0These individuals were zionists and wanted a state of Israel, making them Israelis or proto-Israelis if you prefer.
The groups you should read about were the Lehi Group that performed the Deir Yassin massacre, the Stern gang and the Irgun who bombed a hotel full of British people.
Israel provided logistics and weaponry to the Argentinians during the Falklands war, they freely use British passports in their assassinations, and don't care much about british war memorials in their territory (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/markurban/2009/02/gaza_war_graves_a_personal_pil.html). The proto-Israeli terrorist organisations I just described all have their own military medals as provided by the state (look up the Etzel and Lehi ribbons) and many were buried with state honours.
If you're talking about the same cowardly 'rag-heads' that fought with us against the Ottomans or the Turks who fought with us against the North Koreans, then I'm relatively happy about fighting side by side with them.
“I admire Israelis, they are at least consistent.” Yes, you are correct. They are consistantly anti-British. This is clear from history.
@ 7 & 8
Mar 07th, 2012 - 08:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0I think the truth is a combination of both and somewhere in between.
I know lots of British Israelis and the Israeli part always takes precedence.
Begin (1982 PM) absolutely hated the British and was one of the activists of the Irgun/Stern gang which blew up the King David Hotel in 1946. It was this intense anti British feeling which lead him to ally with the Argentine fascist dictatorship in 1982.The fact that he lost virtually all members of his near and extended family in the Nazi death camps probably made him mad with grief.From meeting and knowing many Israelis I can honestly say that I have yet to meet a sane one.I put it down to being in a constant state of war and the military service.Watch this space regarding the current Iran situation. It could be a case of two 'mad' countries getting us all in the shit.
Israel is one of those countries , like Prussia , which have been' hatched from a cannonball' (to quote Napoleon). In the present context Argentina would like to think of itself as that type of martial country but fortunately (for its neighbours) it is largely populated by Italian or Spanish descended people and not Germans.
As for the Arabs their problem is the old Israeli saying ' get 4 Arabs and you get 5 opinions'. They basically cannot get their act together. As for their military skills they are full spectrum ranging from 'cowardly ragheads' to very brave fighters that Britain has fought alongside in quite a few wars.
@7,9 Don't mistake my disdain for the historical actions of a state as a judgement of a people. I have no issues with either Jewish People, nor your average Israeli. I do however understand that in order to prevent revisiting the past in our future, we should have a clear idea of historical precedent. Of course I don't judge either of you fine gentlemen for having an alternative view beyond that of my own bounded experience.
Mar 07th, 2012 - 11:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0Did we say congratulations to Dr Paul Brickle for being the first Chancellor of the University of the Falklands? The Argentinains are going to find it pretty difficult to call it Las Malvinas if everyone says:
Argentinian: “Malvinas Argentinas!”
Chinese Gent: “Isn't it called the Falklands? Because that's where the University of the Falklands is. My eldest son went there to read a BA in Polar Studies.”
Argentinian: *unable to think of a response*
10 GreekYoghurt
Mar 07th, 2012 - 12:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Perhaps one day.
@ 11
Mar 07th, 2012 - 07:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I second that. This is a civilised comment article with civilised commentators. I know.No Argentinians!
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!