i just wonder if the people on the falkland island really don't want to be independent? sure they won't be a part of argentina and if you ask them "argentina or uk" they say uk but what if you would ask them "with all the oil you have, do you wish to be a part of uk or do you wish to be independent so you can sell the oil to whatever company you want"

this would be a very very rich place then and noone would have any money problems anymore there^^

they just would have to pay uk half of that income or so to be under their protection and not almost everything which they will earn.

The key problem with the British Empire was that it subjugated unwilling peoples. The remaining British territories have been told that they have the right of self-determination as far as the British government is concerned. It is by choice rather than subjugation that they are British and as such I don't think a comparison to the British Empire of old is a very good one.

Kind of unsurprising since the Falklands have always been a huge money sink to whoever owned them. Selling wool and fishing rights gets them about 50% of the money required to run the thing, the other half is being pumped in by the GB government.

The fishing rights have always been the culprit in this discussion (apart from the proximity to the Antarctica). The Argentinians want the fish for themselves. Now the (rumoured?) oil has of course become the key problem. Without the oil, I guess the British would have been more than inclined to hand over the Falklands, once they would have realised just how much of a money sink these rocks are.

That might take a few more decades...

Was the oil discovered by the time of the Falklands War? Cos the British sure as hell weren't willing to hand it over then =P

Also the British have ruled pretty much continuously (except for the brief period during the war) for nearly 200 years. I think they would have realised if it was too much of a money sink by now.

Falklanders' will settles the sovereignty question until they change their mind.
The oil question is totally different, although the oil outside of Falklands' exclusive economic zone and inside Argentinian continental shelf should belong to Argentina, but it's not so simple and straightforward.
And fishing rights is another different question, to make things more complicated.
What's very clear, also considering the Antarctica question, is that Argentinian claims always tend to be quite excessive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters

If you're referring to the fact that it says "Australia" as where I'm from, that's because I was born there, I don't live there currently.

Anyways, I'm mostly impartial to whether the Falklands are governed by either Argentinia or the UK, I was just trying to bring some light hearted comments in the conversation.

I failed it seems, but at least I made you smile.

Lol, it was not my own choice, I'd go back if I could.

Smart decision, flying some 18-24 hours is hell when you have to sit in the cattle class, had to do it two years ago when I went on vacation there, it's pure hell.

Anyways, sorry for the off topic guys, back to your falklands discussions.