MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falkland Islands fly the flag for self-determination
The Falklands' flag flying at Gilbert House, seat of the elected government of the Islands The Falkland Islands Government notes the Government of Argentina’s latest attempt to twist history in favor of their claim over our sovereignty. By marking the raising of their flag in the Falkland Islands, they only highlight the flaws in their interpretation of the history of our home.
Our own flag commemorates the first sighting of the Falkland Islands by the crew of the English ship Desire, commanded by Captain John Davis, in 1592. This ship is also referenced in our Islands’ motto ‘Desire the Right’ which reflects the spirit of our culture, which is founded on democracy and fairness.
November is a significant month in the history of the Falkland Islands, as on 24 November 1849, the Convention of Settlement was signed by the British and Argentine governments. This peace treaty effectively resolved all disputes between both countries, stating: ‘Under this Convention perfect friendship between Her Britannic Majesty's Government and the Government of the Confederation, is restored to its former state of good understanding and cordiality’. Following this, successive Argentine Presidents no longer referred to any dispute concerning Falkland Islands sovereignty in their annual address to Congress. The next time it was mentioned was by Juan Peron in 1941, prior to first becoming President in 1946, and almost 100 years after the dispute was settled.
Whichever parliamentary bills the current Government of Argentina choses to pass in an attempt to advance their claim over the Falkland Islands, none can rewrite or overwrite the evidence of history. We remain a diverse, resilient and peaceful community that has prospered over time, thanks to the pioneering efforts of the people who travelled here from across the globe to make this special place their home. We are not a supplanted population, but one built on the hard work of the migrants who came to our shores. We are not an isolated enclave at the tip of South America, but a strong, self-determined democracy unequivocally clear about our identity and the flag that represents us.
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Read all commentsOf course the occupants of the Falkland Islands should have the right of self determination to decide their future. A visitor from Mars would be astonished if anyone argued otherwise. There are a few conclusions that a prudent, or perhaps sane is a better word, person would draw from the historical record. But waiting for crazed ideologues to agree with you is a fool's errand. And the Argentines are indoctrinated from birth. The Falklanders know that he who can defend it, owns it. As a wise man once said “The border of my Country is the reach of my spear.”
Nov 06th, 2020 - 08:42 am +2A Very Clear Message From The Falklands which will sadly fall on Deaf ears in Argentina as they have Twisted History and Facts for nearly 70 Years, when they launched there Spurious Claim.
Nov 06th, 2020 - 11:36 am +2In answer, I suspect, to the day in Argentina, today.
Nov 06th, 2020 - 01:44 pm 0Today, Argentina is having a love-in over the fantasy that David Jewett raised their flag in 1820. In reality, Jewett raised a flag (unknown) and claimed the archipelago in the name of the United Provinces of South America. Not the United Provinces of the Rio del la Plata. Only one witness (James Weddell) recorded the ceremony - and he did not believe Jewett either. Not that Jewett ever bothered to mention it to his bosses in BA. BUT, they are having fits of ecstasy in old Argieland today. One more fantasy to add to the list I suppose.
Mad, the lot of them.
https://falklandstimeline.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/1816-to-1829.pdf
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