Will the Old Man Fight back?

Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 4th of April 1982 the number of people in the Falklands was increasing rapidly as more troops continued to be flown in from Argentina. However the number of Falkland Islanders in Port Stanley was dropping as quite a number of its residents decided to head out into "Camp" (or "the Camp") -- as the Islanders referred to those portions of the Falklands (totalling some 12,000 square kilometers) outside of Port Stanley. Port Stantley itself had an area of only about five square kilometers. With the ever increasing number of soldiers occupying Port Stanley, these "Camp bound" residents just wanted to escape from the situation. Many of the local people tried to destroy or hide any items (such as Union Jacks or important documents) that the Argentine troops might be inclined to confiscate. They did not wish for the invaders to treat such things as the spoils of their "victory" over the Falkland Islanders. During my visit to the Falklands back in 2013 a great many of the locals I spoke with told me of the sense of betrayal they had felt by the United Kingdom. Why had London stationed only about 50 Royal Marines in the colony despite the common knowledge that Argentina had been eying the Falklands in a distinctively covetous manner for quite a long time? In addition -- without even conferring with the locals -- some British higher ups in the government had been contemplating some sort of "transfer of authority over the Falklands" to Argentina. Indeed, many people around the world saw Great Britain as a nation that was in decline, no longer "great". The United Kingdom had so many internal problems: high inflation, trade union difficulties, and an unfavorable balance of trade, to name but a few. Now it was Germany (over which Great Britain has been victorious in World War II) that had become the powerhouse of Western Europe. It seemed that no government the British came up with had any cures for any of the nation's ailments.To many (including the group of generals controlling Argentina), Great Britain was a "sick old man", neither able to nor willing to defend its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. These facts did not go unnoticed to the Argentine generals. They reasoned that a "sick, old Britain" would not do anything if the Falklands were attacked. But the leading general, Leopoldo Galtieri -- as well as his cohorts -- were wrong! They had not expected how Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, would respond. Mrs. Thatcher was able to rally the British people to the cause of liberating the Falklands from occupation by the Argentines. Read about the 5th of April, 1982 in tomorrow's blog.

Steve Walker

Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.