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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not understand why some Argentinians seem to want the Falkland Islands so much?

210 replies

Jane3212 · 24/09/2026 23:46

I really like Argentinian literature and would like to know more about the country- I don't know much at the moment.

However, I have read up on the Falklands War, especially after Milei's grandstanding and the World Cup, and I'm confused as to why there still seems to be a strong sense it was 'stolen' and 'needs to come back', and disregard for the wishes of the Islanders, among some Argentinians (I know many don't feel this way).
The war was terrible and Argentinian men were conscripted. But that was the fault of Galtieri. Argentinians suffered under the brutal junta: we had to defend the Islanders, or they would have suffered under it too. And aside from that, the Islanders don't want to be ruled by Argentina. Virtually no Argentinians live there, and it's not particularly large or rich in natural resources : why the obsession among some? It also seems odd to frame Argentina as a sole victim of colonisation by Britain when the modern country itself was founded upon colonising the indigenous peoples.

I was disgusted with Trump's behaviour : I'm sure he'd scoff at anyone saying that the US is an illegitimate settler state, but he appears to be leaning to Milei for his own ends.

AIBU?

OP posts:
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LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 07:56

likelysuspect · 25/09/2026 07:36

Oh god, they're the Millwall of Latin America!

😆 🤣

MeowDoku · 25/09/2026 07:58

dustabsorber · 24/09/2026 23:59

What if the Isle of Wight belonged to Brazil? How would we feel about that? I remember when the Falklands' crisis broke, I looked at a map of the UK, expecting to find the Falklands north of the Shetlands.

I'd find it a more interesting place to holiday if it was culturally Brazilian

GnomeDePlume · 25/09/2026 08:02

Milei is doing it as a distraction from internal issues. Create an artificial external cause and get everyone focused on that.

Trump likes shit stirring. He is the living embodiment of the saying that a lie is halfway round the world while the truth is still pulling on its boots. He says things which make other people run around proving that what he said was false or a generally bad idea. By the time people come back with their evidences he is no longer interested.

My personal suspicion is that he gets fed some of his more outrageous suggestions indirectly from Russia. This is being done to keep the West distracted and inward looking rather than focusing on what Russia is doing.

Itsbeenalongtimeincoming · 25/09/2026 08:05

To not understand why some British seem to want the Falkland Islands so much?

It works both ways so why is it hard to only understand one point of view?

Lzzyisgod · 25/09/2026 08:07

Dh visits/goes fairly regularly for work purposes (although is non miltary) so has got to know a number of acquaintances/colleagues who live there quite well.

Memories of 1982 are still very fresh and real and he always comes back with the impression that the vote to stay British is an accurate reflection.

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:09

It should be up to what the islanders want and that's the end of it.

globalswimmer · 25/09/2026 08:13

I'm not supporting Argentina on this but planting your people in a territory, and then saying, but look, the inhabitants want to stay British, isn't that great an argument. It's exactly the one that's used in NI too.

jksiiuidjuf · 25/09/2026 08:13

I don’t really get the obsession with the Falklands. No one seems to be utilising whatever deposits they have there. We have an obligation to look after them because the islanders are British, the whole set up is ridiculously expensive, but honestly as an RAF wife I’d be thrilled if we could hand the sodding things over. It’s the worst deployment.

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:15

MeowDoku · 25/09/2026 07:58

I'd find it a more interesting place to holiday if it was culturally Brazilian

It's a gorgeous place for a holiday as it is. If it were Brazilian, so be it. But it's a totally false equivalance anyway given how close the IOW is to Portsmouth, and that the Falklands are 300 miles out to sea! It's more like the Faroe Islands which are Danish anyway.

backformoreofthesame · 25/09/2026 08:16

It’s common practice to move your supporters into any disputed area to try and claim territory - so whilst the people living there are British it still feels very uncomfortable to me given the actual location of those islands

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:18

globalswimmer · 25/09/2026 08:13

I'm not supporting Argentina on this but planting your people in a territory, and then saying, but look, the inhabitants want to stay British, isn't that great an argument. It's exactly the one that's used in NI too.

Ok then, let's just return all lands around the world to their pre-colonial past. I'm sure that won't cause any bother or unneccessary wars. North and South America will be rather interesting.

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:20

backformoreofthesame · 25/09/2026 08:16

It’s common practice to move your supporters into any disputed area to try and claim territory - so whilst the people living there are British it still feels very uncomfortable to me given the actual location of those islands

What, 300 miles out in the sea? Shall we just declare France to be part of Britain (again) as it's only 20 miles away?

LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 08:22

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:20

What, 300 miles out in the sea? Shall we just declare France to be part of Britain (again) as it's only 20 miles away?

You really do hate Britain, don't you?

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:27

LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 08:22

You really do hate Britain, don't you?

How would you get that from my posts defending ownership of the Falklands?

CorporalJohn · 25/09/2026 08:27

Jane3212 · 24/09/2026 23:50

Good point, I'd overlooked that.

But the invasion was of course in the 1980s, and there was a lot of public support. The dispute & emotion over it seems to date back further, too. The oil & gas was only found in 2010.

They were known about, or at the very least, there were strong, and generally accepted, indications that they were there.

Oil and gas was a factor in the 1982 invasion.

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 25/09/2026 08:27

LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 08:22

You really do hate Britain, don't you?

I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.

LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 08:28

DeftGoldHedgehog · 25/09/2026 08:27

How would you get that from my posts defending ownership of the Falklands?

Deepest apologies - I got you mixed up with another poster I was thinking of.

LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 08:28

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 25/09/2026 08:27

I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.

Yes, I thought hedgehog was somebody else.

DebbieSavage · 25/09/2026 08:29

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CorporalJohn · 25/09/2026 08:30

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 25/09/2026 00:43

I may be wrong, but I don’t believe the Falklands had inhabitants before Europeans got there. The first recorded visit was by a British ship. After that the French, Spanish and British set down tiny settlements over a few decades. They each may not have even known the others were there. After various withdrawals of all the countries the British asserted sovereignty in 1833.

Argentina’s claim to the islands is the weakest one possible. It’s nonsense really, just a distraction for their politicians.

The Spanish only ever used them as a penal colony and that was abandoned before Argentina became an independent state.

Argentina has never actually owned the islands at any time in its history as an independent nation.

CorporalJohn · 25/09/2026 08:32

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Your ignorance of South American political history is profound.

As I said above, Argentina has never actually owned the islands at any time in its history as an independent nation.

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 25/09/2026 08:32

CorporalJohn · 25/09/2026 08:27

They were known about, or at the very least, there were strong, and generally accepted, indications that they were there.

Oil and gas was a factor in the 1982 invasion.

That seems very unlikely. And even if it was a factor it would have been so minor as to be irrelevant.

jksiiuidjuf · 25/09/2026 08:33

If oil and gas is the issue why isn’t anyone drilling for it there? (Genuine question).

DenizenOfAisleOfShame · 25/09/2026 08:33

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🙄

LuckyHazelFox · 25/09/2026 08:34

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Gary Lineker eat your heart out 😆 🤣