Punctured Illusions

[Johnmcd]

Dear all,
The dedication of Darwin War Memorial went quietly last Tuesday but not for some islanders who viewed the Governors invite to a group from the Argentine Families Commission to the islands Government House as an insult. Well they would wouldn’t they! But least the islanders forget the Governor is the UK’s official representative on the islands and his invite to those who have grieved so long was the right thing to - on behalf of the British nation. I’m glad he did so. I also wonder why none of the islanders, famed for their warmth and hospitality, failed to extend their own home invite to the families? Too busy toeing the line perhaps? It’s a shame because the dedication was a golden opportunity for the small community to place the bitterness of the past behind them at least on a personal level. But the islanders (see the full mercopress report: www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=5290 ) feel that this high level of contact with the Argentine families will be turned into a political issue. Well, it’s the islanders that are turning this into political issue by never failing to trumpet their displeasure at anything Argentine. As far as I can see the dedication of the memorial never made front page news in Argentina.

Perhaps the time has come now for those many wishing to seeing lasting reconciliation established to draw back, accept the way things are, and let those with agendas we might not share to have their day and take the consequences of their own thoughts and actions. That said, I wish to put forward my views…<br>
I want a bit of silence for those families who took a Lan Chile flight to the islands to see the memorial. They were never my enemies and never will be. Those young lads from BA, Cordoba, Santa Rosa, Viedma, Rawson, San Lius were no different at all to the young guys from London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Plymouth or Newcastle. We all got caught up in a war that no one thought would lead to so bloody an outcome. Today, those who remember, will still see those dead young bodies lying broken on the ground. I do.

Best wishes,
John.

[Sea Eagle]

John,

Governor Pearce was quite right to do what he did and it would have been even better if the Speaker as President of the Council had also made a gesture. However as I have pointed out previously, the fact that the remains of the Argentine fallen are still in the Falklands at all was a deliberate act on the part of the Argentine Government to generate ongoing political capital out of the situation by stating for all to see that Argentina left their fallen there because in their opinion they were resting in their national territory.

As often your outburst against Falkland Islanders is out of proportion to the facts and completely devoid of any balancing criticism of Argentina.

Penguin News reports that there were a number of complaints about Governor Pearce's actions. Three complaints are quoted, one of those was a suggestion on the subject of the need for the Governor to maintain an even handed approach, one was on the worry that Argentina would make political capital out of the situation and the other was a concern that the Governor was taking a conciliatory approach at a time when Kirchner was using Chile's shortage of gas supplies (cut off by Kirchner himself) to coerce Chile into taking a more pro Argentine approach to the question of sovereignty over the Falklands. These of course are my words but they summarise the position I think.

So there was no enumeration of how many complaints there were other than the three quoted, which I must say all seemed legitimate concerns to me, also there was no condemnation of the visit or ceremony which as far as I can see was treated with complete respect. Yet you condemn all Falkland Islanders with your unjustified emotional tirade.

What you say about the combatants could be said about any war, such a view is not exclusive to the Falklands.

I can even understand why you may be emotional given your participation in the conflict as a combatant, I just think you need to be more even handed and balanced.

By the way at no part of the article you quote did any Falkland Islander say they were 'insulted' by what the Governor had done. My understanding is that the Families from Argentina are always made most welcome in the islands and that there is a great deal of sympathy for them. There is however no sympathy when Argentina tries to make political capital out of their own heroes as they consistatly try to do in the matter of the Darwin memorial.

Best wishes,

Ernie

[Johnmcd]

Ernie,
I’m not engaged in any ‘balancing act’ where criticism must be attributed equally - just to show what side I‘m on. Sod that!. I’m forwarding to anyone that comes across these forums exactly how I feel. The islanders who were quoted in the PN report did so to ‘politely’ tell Governor Pearce what the ‘community’ thought of his invite the Argentine families to Government House. Nothing balanced about this - was there? and as I said, “they would, wouldn’t they” Islander opinion has one voice, as they have but one party, one agenda and rotating set of geniuses for one government and an unbreakable ‘status quo’<br>
“Unjustified emotional tirade” says’ you.

For both Britain and Argentina the Falklands conflict was a vainglorious colonial adventure that cost the lives of some 1000 men, a third of the island population. About 750 Argentines lost their lives and 250 of our own. Very many of the dead on both sides died in carnage that left them beyond recognition. As you know, we in the RN buried most of our fallen at sea with admiralty charts marked to show where. Not much different on land where the collected remains from both sides were placed to rest in designated sites. For the Argentines this meant white wooden crosses that simply say, "An Argentine Soldier Known Unto God" How could they possibly be taken back to Argentina - who could they be returned to? even if they could go through the island bureaucracy that still does not allow Argentine flagged ships or aircraft to come into the islands to collect. Even the stones for the memorial had to come by a non-Argentine ship. Are you getting the drift?

What-ever the post conflict wrangling that went on one thing must surely rise above all this. This is to provide the dignity and respect for those families who are desperately looking for some form of closure. It was very telling that the island vox box, Penguin News, did not highlight this very human moment, but choose instead to highlight displeasure at the Governor for his humane response. As for my ‘emotional tirade’ Yeah ok! What ever has impinged on my life, my survival from the conflict and leaving good mates behind, is from my objective world, how it affected me. How it affects you - you have made clear. That’s the way it is. (Sometimes I wish I could be blissfully ignorant)

Best wishes,
John.