Carry on Argentina with pathetic efforts to intimidate

Can the EU sink much lower? Hot on the heels of its shoulder-shrugging response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine , it now decides to align itself with another bully. Yes, that bully is Argentina, which tries all it can to inflict misery on its smaller neighbour, the good people of the Falkland Islands. So, the EU casually refers to the Islands as the ‘Malvinas’– the covetous, threatening term Argentina uses for a group of islands that are as British as strawberries and cream. And while the EU has now made a half-hearted attempt to back down, its original intention to humiliate Britain and ignore the wishes of the Falkland Islanders is clear for all to see. Never mind that the Islanders have voted to remain British in a referendum by more than 99 percent. Never mind that Argentina’s claims are based on nothing more than a warped, lopsided view of ancient history. And never mind the diabolical, failed attempt by Argentina to take the Islands by force just four decades ago, leaving memories of death and destruction, and scars, both physical and psychological, on some of the most peace-loving people on earth. None of that appears to matter to the EU, an organisation only too ready to put childish anti-British posturing before the principles of self-determination and democracy. In fact, does democracy really matter to the EU at all, given that the movers and shakers in Brussels are unelected bureaucrats, and given its attempts to ‘punish’ Britain merely for having the temerity to leave? No wonder the EU calls the Islands the Malvinas, for why should the EU care about the little guy? And no wonder Argentina boasts that it’s notched up a ‘diplomatic triumph’. Bullies like to stick together. Well, I have news for these nasty bedfellows: the Falklands will stay British just so long as the Islanders desire. For, as we’ve seen in Ukraine , pride, determination and self-preservation can, and do, outweigh mere numbers. So, carry on, Argentina, with your pathetic attempts to intimidate. Because you’ve tried and failed before. You’ve nagged other countries to support your phoney cause. You’ve stopped flights from passing through your airspace. You’ve cajoled the Mercosur bloc into closing ports to ships displaying the Falklands flag. You’ve banned energy companies, and threatened to arrest their executives. You’ve moaned like a noisy toddler about Stanley’s spanking new port. The more you try to undermine the economy and livelihood of the Islands, the more the people there prosper while you slide further into economic gloom. While you have inflation at more than 100 percent, the Falklands have full employment and a European standard of living. I’ve visited the Falklands several times. I’ve been to Goose Green, where Argentine soldiers incarcerated men, women and children in the tiny hall for weeks on end, like the Black Hole of Calcutta. I’ve heard from people who were marched out of their homes at gun point, and how they can still feel that gun in their backs. I’ve visited the war cemetery at San Carlos where British soldiers were laid to rest. The Islanders won’t forget this ultimate sacrifice, nor will they forgive Argentina for its attempts to subjugate. Only in Ukraine have I witnessed a similar determination to preserve sovereignty and a similar refusal to be intimidated by the ogre next door. Only in Ukraine have I also been moved to tears by the sheer resolute refusal to give in. There are more than 40 million Argentinians and only 3,000 Falkland Islanders. But I know who I’ll put my money on. And even if they had the backing of the 450-million-strong EU, my money would remain. So, Argentina will celebrate its ‘triumph’. And the EU will congratulate itself on its silly attempt to wound the UK. It won’t make a blind bit of difference. The Islands will stay British. And the principle of national self-determination will be preserved.