The falklands islands

[Brendan]

Meh, there are plenty more Brits living in mine and slagging it off. Few of them very keen to come back to Blighty though.

So go figure ?ey. I can merrily take your jobs, ruin your women for you and insult you left right and centre whilst enjoying the benefit of pouring my life work into your economy but the Falkland sheep farmer, all be he plumy of voice and lacking in the chin department doesn?t enjoy citizenship.

[Brendan]

Just think, he could be just as much of a pain in the arse as I am if he did.

[Magpie]

Anyway Mr Barber is wrong - apparently Falkland Islanders were given British Citizenship in 1983 - as were all citizens of British dependencies in 2002.

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/british-nationality-falkland-islands-act-1983/

Also done a quick google - and apparently there are around twice as many South Africans living in the UK, as there are British citizens in South Africa.

http://www.1stcontactvisas.com/visa-news/post/Fewer-South-Africans-living-in-the-UK.aspx

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080617070200AAGaygj

[mockney piers]

Not true. They were given British Overseas Territory Citizenship which gives them access to British Citizenship, which is not the same thing.

The second one is also a bit iffy, there are twice as many saffas here as there are ex-pats in S. Africa, which doesn't include backpackers, those holding short term working visas and generally annoying student types.

And when it comes to Brits in Spain slagging it off there is no contest believe you me!!!

[Brendan]

Perhaps now but if you take the 200 year history of the relationship between the 2 countries. Anyway I wasn?t really invoking scientific research just expressing my opinion based on experience. In South Africa I come across a lot more Brits than I do South Africans in England. Although this may have something to do with me avoiding South Africans in England.

Anyway insulting poms isn?t really being insulting. You?re fair game whether I?m here or you?re there or we?re both in Australia.

The propensity for people to slag off the countries they?re living in is really quite amazing sometimes. It?s the daily hobby of invasive British people living all over the Mediterranean. Perhaps the most bizarre I have heard though is my Rhodesian aunty, who has been living in England for about 20 years and has had her brain addled by over exposure to the Daily Mail, digging her allotment patch and going on about bloody foreigners.

And I fail to see what any of this has to do with the Falklands.

[Brendan]

I think you may all be wrong. Wikipedia says this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_overseas_territories#Citizenship

[????]

Actually, I think it's a bit of a cliche that Brits slag off the countries they live in...I never hear much of it from ex-pats I know in Oz, France, Italy or when I lived in Spain. They may moan about some things that they miss and some of the cultural differences but this moaning, bigoted medditerranean brit harking back to the old country is a liberal, guardian metro cliche...they are by far the minority in my experience. Have you guys any evidence or is it just a lazy stereotype itself...or should you be looking at who you mix with?

[Brendan]

Yeah I spend every summer with my in-laws in Turkey.

[????]

you're gonna so love Surrey

[mockney piers]

To be fair I know Spain really very well indeed.

And you're right, I never once met that type in Madrid, and there are loads of Brits living there.

The costas however (though yes, I met some nice ones too).....(and yes, they're more happily launch into slagging off Britain than Spain, but believe me they slag off Spain. More than once I've wondered what on earth they're doing there, but then that makes me sound like a daily mail reading 'if you hate it some much why don't you etc' type, and even the thought of that makes my spine shiver).

But agreed, Falklands....

[Brendan]

I don?t feel I should have to stop slagging off the English just because I live here and my wife, best friends, cousins, uncles, aunts etc are English.

Ridiculous!

It just gives me more ammunition.

[????]

We can take it Brendan, don't panic ;-)

[Brendan]

Oh I know you can. It?s Surrey I?m worried about.

[????]

You'll be in the golf club committee room with a G&T slagging of johny foreighners before Christmas, mark my words

[Brendan]

Sounds like moving back to South Africa.

[The Chair]

For goodness gents. I know I said I was prepared to let debates wander off topic but PLEASE try and keep it within the vague realm of the original debate.

Mentions of Surrey, The Daily Mail, metropolitan elites and Spain are also to be avoided on the grounds that all of them are naff.

So, are the Falkland Islanders British or not?

[Brendan]

I suppose you'd have to ask one of them about that.

I do know from speaking to older generations that people from British colonies always got a bit peeved when they came to Britain and got treated like foreigners because they saw themselves as very much part of Britain not some far flung foreign country.

[oilworker]

Given the current Argy sabre rattling isn't it about time this topic was resurrected??

[maxxi]

oilworker Wrote:

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> Given the current Argy sabre rattling isn't it

> about time this topic was resurrected??

This topic can only be resurrected if the Islanders state a desire for it to be so. Otherwise there is nothing to discuss.

The presence of a moderating-gunship and a minor member of the admin. community are pure coincidence.

[????]

Ways out of debt crisis part 117

Sell Falklands/Malvinas to Argies for X billions and laese it back off them for 125 years so that locals can plan appropraitely.

Greece should do this with Cyprus too (er, sell it to Turkey not Argentian obvioulsy!)

:))

PS Idea shamelessy knicked from Spectator

[Brendan]

Could we sell Scotland to China?

[????]

We could threaten to throw in Wales as well unless they pay top dollar.

[david_carnell]

If we're doing that you might as well chuck in all of England except London and the SE. Useless wasters.

[baroldmc]

I was saddened to see that, in solidarity with their Argentinian n'bour,

Paraguay has closed its ports to UK shipping! How petty!

[Loz]

Brendan Wrote:

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> Could we sell Scotland to China?

They'd only manufacture it into a piece of cheap furniture and sell it back to us.