Most Argentines Say Falklands Are Important Issue
Most Argentines consider the Falkland Islands to be an important issue, according to a new survey.
According to the polling firm Ibarómetro, 79% of those polled said the islands – known here as Las Malvinas – are either pretty or very important to the country.
Almost 84% of those surveyed said “the United Kingdom is violating Argentina’s sovereign right to the islands.”
Interestingly, about 53% said they don’t know if they agree with the 1982 dictatorship’s decision to go to war with the UK over the islands. Thirty-three percent said they agree while 15% disagree.
Finally, although Argentines think the issue is important, they’re not all convinced that it’s necessary to vote for political candidates who harbor on the issue.
Less than half of those polled (47%) said they vote based on a candidate’s position regarding the Falklands. Thirty percent said they don’t care about a candidate’s stance while 23% said “it’s not the most important issue” when voting.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Let’s just hope that everyone leaves the Kelpers alone. They did nothing to deserve having a gun head to their heads back in 1982, and for a large part (33%) of a supposedly “democracy loving” country like Argentina to say that the military was right to go to war over the islands is quite frankly, embarrassing.
Argentina needs to give it up already! They lost the war.
The government has more important things on their plate such as the economy and inflation. The people should worry about the blatant corruption in this country!
Both posts before mine are obviously very biased. Don’t you think it is a huge hypocresy to say that we should leave the kelpers alone when you didn’t ask -back in 1833 – the Argentinians living on the islands if they wanted to leave? Why don’t we solve “the kelper problem” in the same way you did, pack them all on a ship and send them back to London? Very democratic indeed.
If there wasn’t the chance of finding oil in the area, if the island weren’t so close to the Antarctis (which make them a perfect excuse for claiming a share of the Antarctis) I don’t think many people in the UK would care much about the kelpers and their rights.
The Islas Malvinas are an anachronism, a colony right in the middle of the 21st century – something like Abkhazia or South Ossetia (by the way very criticised by the UK an other western Nations).
I personally dislike the current argentine government and the state of the politic in my country. And would hate to see that the Kirchners (or any current politician) use this for internal propaganda. But this has nothing to do with the right over the islands. Argentina is a big country, with a lot of resources, with a growing population. One day the UK will have no option but to listen to the UN assembly says and sit down at the negotiation table.
The place you are referring is Islas Malvinas and it is in Argentina
Give up your asses imperialistas!
Argentina didnt go to war with us – they started it and the UK was obliged to commit because the residents of the Falklands DONT WANT to be part of a third world country. Everyone should read ‘Malvinas Requiem’ if they want to see just how heinous the Argetnine character is
What is the surprising news, then? It’s more than obvious that this long-standing dispute is of utmost significance and priority for Argentine people, regardless of the Government in charge. What is surprising is that this site stills calls them “Falkland” instead of “Malvinas”, the only official rightful name. Hope you consider it in the future. German
The Malvinas Islands are Argentine, of course, even if the British still ocuppy them by force. Colonialism in these days, that is the truth. Besides, the Brisith people on the islands aren’t but the very colonial power whom they belong to. How can they even be said to have the right to claim somebody else’s territory? Only the British can sustain this, but time is running short for them. Best. S
As a brit who has spent around 3 years in Argentina on and off since 2001 I find it sad that the Falklands/Malvinas issue keeps being raised as an issue of conflict by Argentina. Sadly it is used by those in power in Argentina as an excuse to divert attention from the real issues that affect the people of Argentina; poor governance, vested interest, corruption and so on. Whenever an important domestic issue seems likely to cause real public discontent those in power trot out the Malvinas as a diversionary tactic, to divert people’s attention from the real issues that need to be dealt with (much as Tony Blair’s government did in Britain with foxhunting, whenever something embarrassing for his government was about to break!). Regarding sovereignty there are parallels with Gibraltar and Scotland; in both these cases, as with the Falklands/Malvinas, the sensible, pragmatic and democratic solution is to let the people decide, i.e. if the folks of Gibraltar want to be part of Spain, or those of the Falklands/Malvinas part of Argentina, or for the Scots to be independent, then hold a referendum in those places with the majority making the decision. It is then incumbent on both sides of the debate to make their case and persuade the inhabitants of the virtues of that case. You have to start from “where we are now”, not from where you would like to be! Come on Argentina – prove to the people on the islands that they would be better off with you rather than Britain. Until you can, resorting to arguments about who rightly ‘owns’ the islands is just an academic exercise. Without the people’s support you will never have legitimate claim to their loyalty.
Those who claim that the falklands are an example of colonialism don’t have the slightest idea what they’re talking about… They clearly don’t know what colonialism means, if they did they wouldn’t make such a ridiculous claim… Colonialism is foreign rule imposed upon a people, that is, the subjugation of one people to another. This is clearly NOT the case with the falklands!! The islanders are not subjugated to any foreign power. They are under british rule by choice, not because it is imposed on them. If they ever wanted to declare their independence, they are free to do so. Same goes for any other British overseas territory. The will of the natives is always respected. Who are the Argentines to tell the islanders what to do? In my opinion, the only colonialism here comes from the Argentine side, considering that they want to impose their rule on the islands against the will of the natives.
antonio, let’s send the kelpers back to the UK and then there is no argentine colonialism! Very simple, just what the UK did with the argentines living there in 1833.
You must be very smart and probably know more that the people working at the Decolonization Commitee of the UN, which has been telling the UK for decades to go and sit at the table with Argentina for negotiations.
You can see the last document they issued here: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/gacol3196.doc.htm
But sorry, in your opinion they surely “don’t have the slightest idea what they’re talking about”.
Good day and hello,
I am a Falkland Islander, and am always interested in other people’s views regarding the Falklands controversy. However, having read some of the posts on this site, I can see that some contributors have not researched the subject very well at all, so may I suggest that all providers (before posting any further comments) read a publication called:
“Getting it right: the real history of the Falklands/Malvinas” authored by Graham Pascoe and Peter Pepper.
This site is for all who are interested in the history of the Argentine claim over the Falkland Islands. The information it contains is taken from the original historical documents concerned. If no “hard” evidence exists, then no entry was included in this history by the authors.
It is a rebuttal of Argentine historical misinformation – particularly as distributed in 2007 to Argentine schoolchildren. A lot of the information is researched from actual Argentine historical archives. This is a “must see” for all those interested in the background to the controversy, and the general history of the South West Atlantic.
If you would like to learn more about this subject and more Falklands History, both in the English and Spanish then copy and paste the below links into your web browser:
English Language: http://www.falklandshistory.org/
Spanish PDF: http://www.falklandshistory.org/spanish4.pdf
It will be interesting if any body out there can come up with actual historical documents that prove this publication (or any part of) to be incorrect.
Very best regards and thank you for taking the time to read this.
Las Malvinas son Argentinas.
Kelpers go home and go cry to the Queen
La soberania argentina sobre las Malvinas no se negocia
Hahaha!
Martin, you think that I’m British! I dislike the Brits in general BUT, I still think Argentina is wrong about the Falklands.
So, if Britain should send the Kelpers home, and give the Falklands to Argentina, then surely, at the same time, we should send all the gallegos and tanos home from Argentina, and give it back to the Charruas, Mapuches, Guaranis etc etc etc (you do realise that Patagonia was stolen from the natives of this land AFTER the Falklands were “stolen” from Argentina, don’t you? I guess not…
ARGENTINE HYPOCRISY!!! How does that not surprise me!
(In fact,
[oops, got cut off there]
(In fact, I think it would probably be a good idea if we sent the tanos, gallegos and franchutas home from Argentina. Argentina is indeed a beautiful country – it doesn’t deserve the Argentines. If the population would be so kind to leave, perhaps it could be turned into a big national park or something. Let’s give it to Chile and Brazil to administrate… that way at least things will start heading in the right direction.
(Only problem with this is that I would pity Italy, Spain and France having to receive the rejects back…)
Falkland Islander, with all respect to your opinion, I think the history you are mentioning has been written by British or Kelpers, which at least makes it suspicious to me. Of course it will tell what the UK wants!
Informed Reader – The Charrúas were the aborigenes living mostly in Uruguay. And I don’t dislike the British, I get along very well with them.
The population of the Falklands want to remain with the United Kingdom. Falkland Islanders posses British Citizenship and we will protect them just like we defended our people against the Spanish Armarda (ancestors of the Spainish settlers in Argentina), France’s Napoleon (inspiration of Hitler), Germany in two World Wars and the Argies themselves in the British victory of 1982.
It’s not colonialism, it’s democracy, the will of the people, and it’s that which is what Britain will defend, and we’ll crush anybody that wants to deprive British citizens such basic human rights as we have proved countless times (some of which i have already mentioned).
ohhh…how nice! The Bristish always fighting for the truth, the human rights…alwaysy fighting for the…errrr…peace! what would we do without them!
… without them we would have a war in Iraq, for instance. The Defenders of Peace and Human Rights, and yet they claim a land which is thousand of miles away from their mainland. Argentina will not negotiate the Kelpers choice because that right was not given by an Argentinean Government, on the contrary it was imposed by the British illegal invasion of our territory. Malvinas Argentinas!
Martin says:
October 22, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Falkland Islander, with all respect to your opinion, I think the history you are mentioning has been written by British or Kelpers, which at least makes it suspicious to me. Of course it will tell what the UK wants!
Informed Reader – The Charrúas were the aborigenes living mostly in Uruguay. And I don’t dislike the British, I get along very well with them.
Dear Martin,
The history was indeed written by two Brits, and you have every right to be suspicious.
So please read it, research it, and disprove the contents.
Or are you scared at what you will find..?
To quote the publication from page 19 of the English language version – “4 were Charrúas indians from Uruguay” – so what is your point?
from a Falkland Islander
[...] rest is here: The Argentine Post » Blog Archive » Most Argentines Say Falklands … Share and [...]
On of the last comments is just fascinating. The empire that was at the forefront of promoting and benefiting from slavery around the world now talks about “anybody that wants to deprive British citizens such basic human rights as we have proved countless times.”
The Malvinas Islands are Argentine, end of story
Dear James,
Are you like the rest……..?
Research it, investigate, enquire – don’t simply rely upon what you are told.
Find out, confirm, then confirm again.
Once you have done that, then it will be “end of story”.