mapleboy Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 After the UN Chief calls the calm, Argentina ignores him and starts claiming that we've got a boomer pootling around off their coastline... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16993391 Not that such an occurence is something that the UK would ever confirm or deny of course. Unless CMD were to subtly ask the Argentine ambassador "What's the highest SPF sunscreen sold in Buenos Aires?" :hihi: An invasion by Argentina is not a militarily realistic proposition. But a failed invasion may be just the ticket for President Kirchner - it gives her an excuse to wave the bloody shirt and crack down on domestic opposition as the wheels come off of the economy. Would she be that stupid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoni_mouse Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I'm sure that if the positions were reversed and Britain was demanding sovereignty over a collection of islands which although (relatively) geographically closer had no British people living there and we had no justifiable historical claims to, the same people who are so adamant that we should discuss sovereignty with Argentina would be outraged by our claims. Equally, if the war in '82 had been waged by any other PM than Thatcher, I doubt there would be anything like the bile and ill educated vitriol spewed about it and the ongoing situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wednesday1 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 So clearly the reason we first sent a task force was not 'all about oil'. And it isn't now. Time to get real, from today's Telegraph: Falklands oilfields could yield $176bn tax windfall The Falkland Islands stand to benefit from an enormous $176bn (£111.7bn) tax windfall from oil and gas exploration, according to a major new report. A report predicts the potential tax riches for Falklands Islands oilfields are likely to reach just shy of $180bn. By Nathalie Thomas 9:30PM GMT 11 Feb 2012 294 Comments A study to be handed to the UK Government this week will lay bare the potential riches on offer from drilling in waters within the 200-mile exclusion zone set up during the 1980s Falklands War to mark the boundaries of British territory. A group of UK-listed companies is involved in exploring four major prospects this year, with the largest, Loligo, potentially holding more than 4.7bn barrels of oil. By comparison Catcher, the biggest discovery in the North Sea of the past 11 years, is believed to hold only 300m barrels. The report by oil and gas analysts at Edison Investment Research predicts that if all four prospects were drilled, the potential tax riches are likely to reach just shy of $180bn. At present, the Falklands’ main industry is fishing, which generates just $23m a year. Beyond that, the territory receives only $16m in tax receipts a year from other business sectors. The most developed prospect, Sea Lion, already appraised by Salisbury-based Rockhopper Exploration, is forecast to produce 448m barrels over the next 20 years. Related Articles Argentina accuses UK of sending nuclear missiles 11 Feb 2012 Rockhopper ups Falklands oil estimates - again 11 Oct 2011 Falklands oil: who are the main explorers? 04 Apr 2011 Ian McLelland, co-author of the report, said the opportunity offered by the seas around the islands is colossal: “With current tax and fishing incomes in the region of $40m , the islands look set to be transformed by the oil industry.” But he cautioned that the recent political posturing by Argentina could prove a major barrier to securing the vital investment needed to get the prospects to where they are actually producing oil. “The proverbial spanner in the works that remains is the ongoing political dispute between Britain and Argentina regarding sovereignty of the Falklands,” he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoni_mouse Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Time to get real, from today's Telegraph: Falklands oilfields could yield $176bn tax windfall The Falkland Islands stand to benefit from an enormous $176bn (£111.7bn) tax windfall from oil and gas exploration, according to a major new report. A report predicts the potential tax riches for Falklands Islands oilfields are likely to reach just shy of $180bn. By Nathalie Thomas 9:30PM GMT 11 Feb 2012 294 Comments A study to be handed to the UK Government this week will lay bare the potential riches on offer from drilling in waters within the 200-mile exclusion zone set up during the 1980s Falklands War to mark the boundaries of British territory. A group of UK-listed companies is involved in exploring four major prospects this year, with the largest, Loligo, potentially holding more than 4.7bn barrels of oil. By comparison Catcher, the biggest discovery in the North Sea of the past 11 years, is believed to hold only 300m barrels. The report by oil and gas analysts at Edison Investment Research predicts that if all four prospects were drilled, the potential tax riches are likely to reach just shy of $180bn. At present, the Falklands’ main industry is fishing, which generates just $23m a year. Beyond that, the territory receives only $16m in tax receipts a year from other business sectors. The most developed prospect, Sea Lion, already appraised by Salisbury-based Rockhopper Exploration, is forecast to produce 448m barrels over the next 20 years. Related Articles Argentina accuses UK of sending nuclear missiles 11 Feb 2012 Rockhopper ups Falklands oil estimates - again 11 Oct 2011 Falklands oil: who are the main explorers? 04 Apr 2011 Ian McLelland, co-author of the report, said the opportunity offered by the seas around the islands is colossal: “With current tax and fishing incomes in the region of $40m , the islands look set to be transformed by the oil industry.” But he cautioned that the recent political posturing by Argentina could prove a major barrier to securing the vital investment needed to get the prospects to where they are actually producing oil. “The proverbial spanner in the works that remains is the ongoing political dispute between Britain and Argentina regarding sovereignty of the Falklands,” he said. Fascinating. Except that it's Argentina and not us that is ramping up the rhetoric and posturing. So if any nation has their eyes on cynicaly expoiting the islands new found mineral wealth, surely it's the Argentinians and not us? Or let me guess, we've actually manufactured the latest 'situation' in order to justify an increased military presence in the region under the pretext of protecting the islanders rights while all the time guarding the evil oil companies real objectives down there right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFKvsNixon Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Time to get real, from today's Telegraph: Falklands oilfields could yield $176bn tax windfall There you go then, a couple of posts ago you when you were asked whether you backed the Falkland Islanders right to self determination you said: As long as they're prepared to pay for it! Well as you've found out they can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 True, but it is known now, there have been several successful drillings and It is rumoured that the amounts of oil down there have been deliberately down-played, so as not to encourage the Argentinians. It is 30 years on from the initial conflict and I honestly think that if it was not for the oil, we would enter into discussions with Argentina re: longer term sovereignty. Has it been downplayed? I seem to remember reading (in the mid 1980s) that the oil reserves there were 'significant'. Not only are there oil reserves, the fish stocks there and off the UK territories in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also very large. Next thing you know, the Argentinians will be claiming that they invented sandwiches! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wednesday1 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Fascinating. Except that it's Argentina and not us that is ramping up the rhetoric and posturing. So if any nation has their eyes on cynicaly expoiting the islands new found mineral wealth, surely it's the Argentinians and not us? Or let me guess, we've actually manufactured the latest 'situation' in order to justify an increased military presence in the region under the pretext of protecting the islanders rights while all the time guarding the evil oil companies real objectives down there right? Exactly, at present the UK / Falklands Govt. own the rights to the any oil found in the 200 mile exclusion zone, and we should not enter into any discussions wrt to the sovereignty of the the Islands, certainly until the oil has been extracted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wednesday1 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Has it been downplayed? I seem to remember reading (in the mid 1980s) that the oil reserves there were 'significant'. I didn't think any drilling or seismics had been done until the last couple of years. One of the majors, Exxon-Mobil did some unsuccessful drilling and issued a statement which appeared to cast doubt over the size of any commercially exploitable reserves. But Aim listed Rockhopper struck oil a while back in the Sea Lion complex. Then Desire, another UK company famously said they had struck oil which turned out to be water! a few days later. Desire have since struck oil themselves though, in the Sea Lion field which extends onto their acreage. There is a second rig about to start drilling for another company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackLakeland Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I never understood why the Argentinians claim the islands. I apreciate that geographically it is closer than the UK but South America was colonised by the Spanish, amonst others, as we colonised other parts of the world. Spain isn't that much closer to Argentinia than the UK. If it had been the native American people claiming the islands then maybe it should be handed back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hang on to the Falklands for god's sake otherwise Spain will be claiming Gibraltar next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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