In a lecture I recently gave to mark the approaching 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, one of the questions I asked was whether Argentina would have another go. I concluded it would not, because the military protection of the islands, neglected in 1982, was now strong. In passing, though, I did note that China now has a close relationship with Argentina, over arms trading, the hog industry, soybeans, help with the pandemic etc. Argentina, I said, was now likelier to support China, not the West, in international forums. This week, Xi Jinping has declared his support for Argentina’s claim to ‘the full exercise of sovereignty’ over the islands. This may be mere game-playing, but our government should scent danger. In 1982, one of Argentina’s key failures was to win significant diplomatic support. Mrs Thatcher moved fast to get a UN Security Council resolution condemning the invasion. Would we get such a thing today, or would China veto, describing British sovereignty of the islands as ‘colonialism’? Through its Belt and Road Initiative, it has bought up very wide support in the developing world. It would happily argue that the Falklands equal Taiwan and should be returned to their rightful owners, even though there probably is not one single Falklander who wants to be ruled by Argentina.
Last week, the Conservatives won the Southend by-election (‘hung on’ was the BBC’s phrase to describe a 12,000 majority). But it was a weird contest because the other mainstream parties did not stand, out of respect for the constituency’s murdered Tory MP, Sir David Amess. The same happened after the Labour Jo Cox’s murder. This convention is understandable but mistaken. Assassins are trying to stop democratic politics. Surely voters deserve contested elections.
This column first drew attention (see Notes, 20 June 2020) to the petition by Jesus College, Cambridge, for Church permission to remove Grinling Gibbons’s bust of its 17th-century benefactor, Tobias Rustat, from its chapel.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in