What no Sean Penn and Falklands thread?

[october_lost]

Clear sabre-rattling going on by both sides, and this guy wades in...

The actor Sean Penn has weighed into the Falklands dispute, urging Britain to join UN-sponsored talks over what he called "the Malvinas Islands of Argentina".
Penn met Argentina's president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, in Buenos Aires and said: "It's necessary that these diplomatic talks happen between the United Kingdom and Argentina. I think that the world today is not going to tolerate any kind of ludicrous and archaic commitment to colonialist ideology."
Last week British officials dismissed claims it was "militarising" the situation in the south Atlantic by deploying nuclear weapons nearby. Argentina said it had intelligence that a Vanguard submarine had been sent to the area, and demanded to know whether it was carrying warheads.
"Thus far the UK refuses to say whether it is true or not," said the foreign minister, Héctor Timerman. "Are there nuclear weapons or are there not? The information Argentina has is that there are these nuclear weapons."
Timerman said Britain was using an "unjustified defence of self-determination" to maintain a military base on the Falklands, which allowed it to dominate the Atlantic. But Britain's ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, said the idea that the UK was militarising the situation was manifestly absurd.
David Cameron and Fernández have been trading barbs for months, prompting the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, to express "concern about the increasingly strong exchanges".
Britain deployed one of its most modern destroyers, HMS Dauntless, to the region but insisted the move was merely routine. Prince William's arrival in the Falklands for a posting as an RAF search and rescue pilotfurther infuriated Buenos Aires. And there were protests after the website of Falklands newspaper the Penguin News ran a photo of Fernández labelled "bitch".

 

[silverfish]

This is on a par with a Joey Barton tweet

 

[editor]

And we should care about what Sean Penn thinks... why?

 

[JHE]

I hope that the Falkland Islands Government does not miss a trick here. Penn's a dollop, but he could be useful.

They should invite Sean Penn to visit the Falklands, have a look around, meet Falkland Islanders and have a free and frank exchange of views. I am not suggesting that anyone should be nasty to the daft Hollywood celeb, just that he should be helped to understand the situation from the point of view of the Falkland Islanders and that their exchanges should be recorded and published.

Many people around the world are more likely to watch a debate if a famous wotsit like Penn is involved. The opportunity is too good to miss.

The very worst that could happen is that Penn might turn down the offer. That would be a lost opportunity, but if it happened the supposed anti-colonialist's unwillingness to talk to the inhabitants should be publicised as widely as possible. I wonder how you say 'bottled it' in Hollywood-speak.

 

[dylanredefined]

Because we already had two threads about them and everyone is bored some actor playing to the home crowd is as relevant as causally reds views on the island.
Falklanders are happy the way things are.So whats to talk about? How about a thread about what the argentine government are trying
to distract their people from?

 

[Corax]

I hope that the Falkland Islands Government does not miss a trick here. Penn's a dollop, but he could be useful.

They should invite Sean Penn to visit the Falklands, have a look around, meet Falkland Islanders and have a free and frank exchange of views. I am not suggesting that anyone should be nasty to the daft Hollywood celeb, just that he should be helped to understand the situation from the point of view of the Falkland Islanders and that their exchanges should be recorded and published.

Many people around the world are more likely to watch a debate if a famous wotsit like Penn is involved. The opportunity is too good good to miss.

The very worst that could happen is that Penn might turn down the offer. That would be a lost opportunity, but if it happened the supposed anti-colonialist's unwillingness to talk to the inhabitants should be publicised as widely as possible. I wonder how you say 'bottled it' in Hollywood-speak.

That's not a bad idea at all. Quick, pitch it to a production company!

 

[goldenecitrone]

And we should care about what Sean Penn thinks... why?

He's obviously been playing some of his old movies and getting a bit sentimental.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

Thank the lord that Mr Penn is standing up for the poor, oppressed people of Las Malvinas. The world must unite to bring an end to this ruthless occupation by the evil British Empire.

 

[gabi]

This is on a par with a Joey Barton tweet

Joey Barton's a little more reasoned than sean penn, bizarrely. I enjoy his twitter.

 

[bi0boy]

Not as good as this one:

Sean Penn has defended Hugo Chávez as a model democrat and said those who call him a dictator should be jailed.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Not as good as this one:

Naomi Campbell supports his views on Chavez too. And she knows all about oppressing poor people.

 

[krtek a houby]

I love Penn but this sort of thing reminds me when Mickey Rourke was dissing the Empire and bigging up the 'RA back in the 80s. When will these well meaning but ill informed celebs ever learn?

 

[Lord Camomile]

I'm bloody furious about this story.

It was a question in the pub quiz last night, and I confidently claimed "It's someone like Sean Penn, but it isn't him".

Wanker

 

[DotCommunist]

Chavez holds to higher electoral standards than many of the countries his detractors hail from, mind

 

[JHE]

I love Penn but this sort of thing reminds me when Mickey Rourke was dissing the Empire and bigging up the 'RA back in the 80s. When will these well meaning but ill informed celebs ever learn?

There were lots of mostly rather right-wing Yanks (of the sort who think they are Irish) who helped fund the Provos. The Provos put on their anti-communist face to talk to the Yank moneybags, just as they put on their left-wing face to talk to their British groupies.

It's good in a way that there are still Americans who want to speak for 18th century American republicanism against the British Crown, but it would be better if they actually found out a bit about the situations they feel so strongly about.

 

[JHE]

Chavez holds to higher electoral standards than many of the countries his detractors hail from, mind

He may well lose this year.

 

[Quartz]

Penn is free to speak his mind; we're free to ignore him.

 

[bi0boy]

Chavez holds to higher electoral standards than many of the countries his detractors hail from, mind

That's why the imprisoning of his detractors would not be a beneficial course of action.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Chavez holds to higher electoral standards than many of the countries his detractors hail from, mind

Including the USA.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Can we be certain that all this fuss isn't being caused by the Argentine president being upset about having a girl's name?

You should never elect a president who got picked on at school. Just look at Sarkozy.

 

[butchersapron]

Can we be certain that all this fuss isn't being caused by the Argentine president being upset about having a girl's name?

You should never elect a president who got picked on at school. Just look at Sarkozy.

You know she's female right?

 

[SpookyFrank]

You know she's female right?

Well I never. There was definitely a boy president called Kirchner a minute ago.

 

[not-bono-ever]

You know she's female right?

fuck me.

 

[agricola]

I do love it how some Yanks can harp on and on about colonialism - it gives one a warm and fuzzy feeling inside as you realise that theirs is the one major nation that has thus far utterly failed to give up very many of its nineteenth century conquests.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I do love it how some Yanks can harp on and on about colonialism - it gives one a warm and fuzzy feeling inside as you realise that theirs is the one major nation that has thus far utterly failed to give up very many of its nineteenth century conquests.

It is pretty funny isn't it. I wonder if, when he was single-handedly rebuilding Haiti, Penn learned anything about why the place was in such a deplorable state in the first place. Because I have no memory of his criticising US imperialism then either.

 

[southside]

The Indians and Mexico have a bigger claim on America than the Argies do on the Falklands, so may be Penn should start a campaign to give Hawaii independence, give Mexico a slice of what they owe and give the Indians a decent standard of living.

 

[agricola]

The Indians and Mexico have a bigger claim on America than the Argies do on the Falklands, so may be Penn should start a campaign to give Hawaii independence, give Mexico a slice of what they owe and give the Indians a decent standard of living.

Well exactly, though of course its different for them because they are exceptional.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

The Indians and Mexico have a bigger claim on America than the Argies do on the Falklands, so may be Penn should start a campaign to give Hawaii independence, give Mexico a slice of what they owe and give the Indians a decent standard of living.

Give Hawaii back to Britian more like. After all the Hawaiians use the Union Flag in their flag...

 

[butchersapron]

Give malibu back to the malibuish Mr Penn.

 

[agricola]

Give Hawaii back to Britian more like. After all the Hawaiians use the Union Flag in their flag...

They still owe us for Cook's boat as well. And for Cook, come to think of it.