Cameron is rattling sabres to commemorate The Malvinas (Falklands) War of 1982. The war was just a seedy footnote to the undistinguished history of British imperialism, but now the Malvinas – at almost the southernmost tip of the South Atlantic – are declared as one of the furthest outposts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation .
What value is a NATO outpost in these rocky outcrops? Solely if you are preparing expansionist plans for the raw material wealth of Antarctica or the 60 billion barrels of oil which are estimated to lie in the islands territory or seas.
Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina all refuse to recognise shipping that flies the Falklands flag. Do Cameron and Clegg think they will emulate Thatcher’s warmongering of 1982 and sweep to re-election? Will the French lend Cameron a navy? The withdrawal of British armed forces from every foreign base – Malvinas, Germany, Belize, Gibraltar, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc should be the only commemoration. ■