you are such a knob . WE dont have the right , fool Its about THEIR rights . We paid in blood so they can live the way THEY want . THEY chose their sovereignty , not us ... or the Argies. my god you are dim . are you like 14 years old or something ? I think was fighting in the Falklands when you were a bulge in your dads ball sack .
Always views differ greatly when such matters come up,a huge number of us were involved with the conflict doing a job we were trained for,the reasons we were sent there can only be decided by others ,now years later opinions are still split mostly because of the location and not the fact these islanders wanted to remain as brits. A long way to steam and a long time to have thoughts
Spare a thought for the ground staff as we call them in the army,huge numbers going into the unknown with most of them having never been to sea before in their lives going halfway around the world as a maiden voyage,plenty of spew to be had.
I feel I should know more about thus as we did about it in history at school but I hated my.history teacher so played the nick for most of it!
To simplify, It's a sparsely inhabited bunch of rocks with the vague possibility of extractable oil etc and some vague strategic use. It was inhabited and abandoned, over the centuries, by various people including the Argies & the Brits. It was settled, most recently, by Scots who want to be part of the UK because they can't survive on their own. If the Scottish vote for independence they should be made to take responsibility for it. Now we've lost blood over it we're pretty much stuck with it. It's f**king miles away from here and everywhere else tbh. If they closed it down and told the Scots to go home it would go back to being a home for penguins.
The Gross Domestic Product, which is currently about £100m annually, enables the Islands to be economically self sufficient in all areas but defence. The cost of defending the Islands is currently met by Her Majestyâs Government, and is estimated to amount 0.177% of the total UK Defence budget annually. Beyond the cost of defence, the Falkland Islands do not receive any further financial assistance from the United Kingdom. Through revenues received, the Falkland Islands Government maintains a balanced budget and provides a high standard of public services. Estimated Operating Expenditure for the 2011/12 Financial Year is £43.0 million, while it is estimated Government Revenue for the same period will be £46.5 million. The Falkland Islands Government reserves currently stand at c.£200m
The Economy Historically based on high-quality wool production, since 1986 the Falkland Islands economy has been dominated by the Fishing industry which currently contributes between 50 and 60% of total GDP annually. Agriculture continues to be a major employer (c.150 employees) and contributes c. £3million to annual GDP. The emergent tourism sector has seen rapid growth in the last 15 years, with c. 60,000 tourists visiting the Islands by cruise ship each year, and a further .1600 âland-basedâ tourists arriving by air annually to enjoy the Islands unique wildlife and unspoilt environment. The tourism sector is the second largest contributor to the Islands economy and contributes about £4m to annual GDP. In 1995 the Falkland Islands Government issued the first licences to explore for hydrocarbons in the waters around the Falkland Islands. The first commercial oil discovery was made in May 2010, making it more likely that the Falkland Islands will have a long term hydrocarbons industry in the future.
Those figures surely don't stack up. 150 sheep farmers contribute £3 million per annum ............ just can't see that, no matter how high quality it is. It's more likely the income is from flogging off fishing licences by the boatload. Despite the Falkland government's boast of self sufficiency it costs the UK about £60 million to defend the place.
give this guy a ring and tell him , To speak to a Falkland Islands Government representative in Stanley, please call: +500 27451
Agriculture For 140 years, until the introduction of the Fishery Conservation Zone in 1987, sheep farming and the export of wool provided the main base of the Islands economy. Since 1987 the sale of fishing licences has become the major income source for the Islands. However, sheep farming remains the major form of land use. The soils of the Islands are acidic and infertile. These inherent difficulties, when coupled with a windy and cool oceanic climate, and added to the geographic isolation of the Falklands, have ensured that wool is still the main land based export. Farmland extends to approximately 1,140,500 hectares and carries approximately 500,000 sheep and 5,000 cattle. Pre-1979 there were 36 farms in the Islands. However, as a result of Government policy to increase the number of locally owned and operated farms through sub-division of some of the larger ‘corporate farms’, there are now 84 farms. Most of these are run as family units with an average size of 10,000 hectares running 6,400 sheep. In 1991, four large farms, equating to about 25% of the total farm land in the Islands, were purchased by the Falkland Islands Government from the Falkland Islands Company, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to agriculture in the Islands. The Falkland Landholdings Corporation was established as a statutory organisation to run these farms, which total 308,000 ha, with 150,000 sheep and approximately 1000 head of cattle. The Islands average annual wool clip for 2010/11 was 1,600 tonnes (greasy) with an average fibre diameter of 24 micron. Sheep breeds are predominantly Polwarth and Corriedale. In 2005 an ongoing major ovine Embryo Transplant and Artificial Insemination programme was initiated, with the aim of speeding up the lowering of micron and improving meat carcasses in order to increase revenue to farmers. This includes introducing sheep breeds such as Dohne Merino and SAMMS (South African Mutton Merino) on farms. In December 2002 the Islands newly constructed abattoir received accreditation to enable meat exports to the UK and Europe. Sand Bay Abattoir’s first production of sheep meat was exported to the UK in May 2003. In 2011 the meat from approximately 44,000 sheep and lambs was exported to the UK and into European markets. In addition to the sheep improvement work, funds are available through the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Improvement Programme. Farmers are being encouraged to run their farms as profitable businesses that can compete on world markets and can enrol on the scheme if they can demonstrate a return on funds provided by the Government. Farms in the Falkland Islands are extensively managed and lend themselves to the production of sheep meat, wool and beef grazed almost exclusively on natural pastures with very little use of synthetic chemicals or treatments. A number of farms in the Islands are designated as organic suppliers for their produce. The main charter of the Department of Agriculture is to foster a viable and internationally competitive agricultural industry through integrated applied research, extension, business skill development and regulatory programmes. The Department also provides veterinary, quarantine and agricultural laboratory services to the Islands. For more information visit www.fiagriculture.doa.gov.fk
Yes, because I'm desperate to spend time & money doing that. Although I might tell him that overfishing, as a result of overselling licences is reducing fish stocks, catches and the value of the licences. The British government pay for the Falkland lamb & wool at a time when British sheep farmers are struggling. If the islands weren't ours we wouldn't be buying it and shipping it 1000's of miles.
tourism is huge there,dont forget there hundreds of islands in the group ,cruise ships are popular all year round the economy is something to be admired
The cornerstone of our economy are our internationally acclaimed sustainable fisheries. Our largely organic agricultural sector is diversifying, and our eco tourism industry is seasonally an important.
Not really 'huge' is it? 60,000 people popping in for the day, off cruise ships on the way to Antarctica, is nowt tbh. They may have a look around but they're not likely to buy wool, mutton or squid. As far as risking your life, isn't that in the job description when you sign on? Not being rude but you probably didn't know where the islands were until it kicked off, I didn't.
