Saturday, February 11, 2012

Gilding the lily

Argentina must know they are onto a loser (again) when the rhetoric over the Falklands Islands reaches the stage of them accusing the UK of having nuclear missiles on the islands.
Telegraph.

The South American country's foreign minister claimed that Trident nuclear missiles were being carried on board a submarine deployed to the region by the Royal Navy.
It comes as tensions continue to rise over the islands, which are claimed by the Argentinians as their territory.
The allegation was immediately rebuffed by a senior British diplomat, who also described claims by the Argentinians that military bases on the island could be used to launch attacks on South America as "absurd".
Hector Timerman, the Argentinian foreign minister, accused the British of sending the nuclear submarine into a nuclear-free zone and lodged a formal protest at the United Nations.
He said Britain was "militarising the region" after the Royal Navy sent one of its most advanced warship to the islands, and as Prince William enters the second week of his six-week tour of duty there as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
Now whilst it wouldn't surprise me at all that the UK has at least one nuclear submarine in the area, it's most unlikely that they'll have trident nuclear missiles on board, nor given the restrictions surrounding the first use of such a weapons system should Argentina worry their silly little heads over any such inclusion. Personally I don't know who they are trying to fool over such a claim, but it certainly isn't the UK, if anything it's likely to backfire as their own people might not be so keen as their government to see the UK crack open a can of liquid sunshine over Buenos Ares anyway. (we wouldn't, but these aren't exactly sophisticates here) As an example of one-upmanship it certainly leaves a lot to be desired and wont exactly make their case (not much of a case anyway) if they go whinging to the UN over it.
I'm a bit surprised that they believe the nuclear free zone myth too, perhaps they'd better have a word with an ex Labour councillor or two to see just exactly how far that claim will get you, as in nowhere at all. I suspect the USA occasionally has a few nuc's running through the area and I doubt the Argentines would have the balls to complain if a carrier fleet were to sail round the horn either.

A protest outside the Argy Embassy earlier today.
There was a protest outside the Argentine Embassy earlier today, apparently there was one arrest for burning a flag, no doubt the charge will be “Burning a flag whilst not being Islamic”

5 annotations:

Pavlov's Cat said...

no doubt the charge will be “Burning a flag whilst not being Islamic”

:)

Woodsy42 said...

Since when has burning a flag been a crime?

Captain Haddock said...

Argentina, fit only for being the inspiration behind a piss-poor musical ..

Oh .. and shit corned beef .. ;)

Quiet_Man said...

Just been updated, apparently the guy was told to leave or be arrested.

Monty said...

They say that when the wind is blowing in the right direction the Argies can hear the British laughing at them from Monty's bar in Port Stanley.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29239