Penguin News FALKLAND ISLANDS Ross Road, Stanley, Falkland Islands • Tel: 22684 Fax: 22238 • [email protected]• www.penguin-news.com • Every Friday Vol 25 No 35 Price £1.50 Friday, February 14, 2014 Inside Penguin News l Helpful hero’s generous gift to schools -page 3 (right) l Your questions answered -page 4 l Elinca travels the Atlantic -centre pages (left) Argentina should Strong support from Uruguay co-operate A PUBLIC opinion poll held in with Falklands Uruguay recently revealed 80 per hydrocarbons cent of the population supported developing commercial and development cultural exchanges with the Falkland Islands according to a says Minister visiting delegation of Uruguayan AN incoming Argentine parliamentarians. president will realise the policies The group, invited to the as carried out by the current Islands by the Falklands’ Argentine Government, “have Government, highlighted been counter-productive and have common interests in fisheries, not achieved anything and they hydrocarbons, tourism and should be looking towards the culture, viewing them as areas to prosperity of their own people,” be developed. Minister of State for the Foreign Member of the House of and Commonwealth Office Hugo Representatives and Chairman Swire told a press conference for International Affairs, Jaime held at Government House on Trobo emphasised the need to, Wednesday. “bring closer countries which He said if Argentina wished are neighbours; to understand to address those problems, “part each other and exchange ideas. of that should be cooperating “What we are longing for is with the economic expansion to get on a plane at Montevideo Power Station Manager Glenn Ross (second from left) shows the of its neighbours, the Falkland and in two and a half hours be Uruguayan delegation around the Power Station Islands.” walking on Stanley waterfront,” to integrate with you... The fact hoped one would be created in Mr Swire emphasised that said Mr Trobo. that we are here is a clear sign of the Falklands, for conversations the British Government would Following discussions with that.” and cultural exchanges like to see companies from all Falklands’ business people the Speaking of the Argentine encouraging positive relations. around the world taking part in parliamentarians felt Uruguay problem they said Islanders Daniel Mañana of the hydrocarbons development in the might aspire to provide 60 per should, “construct a strong National Party for Rio Negro Falklands, “including Argentina.” cent of Falklands imported lobby,” to promote their interests complimented Islanders on the He said: “It is not the Falkland goods. into the South American region. “great organisation” of health, Islanders who are preventing it, In a press conference on They said as a result of this infrastructure and education and it is one country who is trying Thursday they also stated they visit a friendship group would be in promoting the commercial to prevent other countries from were here, “defending our right established in Uruguay and they potential of a small country. getting involved and they won’t be successful.” As soon as one company discovers a viable find of oil in ‘Inflexible’ housing policy questioned the Falklands, “I think you will THE subsidising of plots of was introduced following the East at a university,” for example. find other companies will come land by Government for first development of Stanley some He also clarified that the here,” he added. Mr Swire said it time buyers is acknowledged as years ago in order to, “protect current policy restricts the lease was testament to the companies generous, but the requirement against individuals profiting from of a property but does not restrict already in the Islands developing not to sell or rent the property in the subsidy available for some the house owner from taking in a hydrocarbons, and those that the first ten years, or else trigger buyers.” lodger. want to come that they, “are a repayment of the subsidy, is He agreed however, in the case Any changes would need to not prepared to be bullied by off-putting, say some potential of leasing for a determined period be researched further, and if Argentina.” buyers. there should be room for some introduced, would be carried out Asked whether he saw the With first time buyers tending flexibility. retrospectively and apply to those involvement of American to be young, not being able to Potential buyers approached by subsidised plots already agreed companies as helping in securing rent out their home, (which Penguin News agreed they did not upon, said MLA Summers. the Islanders rights to self brings a commitment to remain expect to profit from the subsidy Speaking of housing in general, determination, Mr Swire said in the Islands for ten years, thus by sale, but the ruling was highly he added that at a recent Housing he did not see those rights as, reducing freedom to study or restrictive. Committee of February 5, it had “under threat.” The people of the travel within that time) is felt to MLA Summers agreed that been agreed that a more,“strategic Falkland Islands, “have spoken be discouraging. relaxing the policy on buyers view on housing,” should be taken very very clearly,” and the, “great Penguin News approached made sense if it would benefit the that supported local need and majority of the international MLA Mike Summers on the Islands as a result of Islanders, ensured houses allocated for the community accept that, he added. subject and he explained the policy “taking a year or two out to study local pool were not overlooked. Page 2 Penguin News, February 14, 2014 Penguin News Comment by Editor Lisa Watson THE philosopher Voltaire’s musing: “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it,” is admirable however there are moments when I can sympathise with science fiction writer John Scalzi: “If you want me to treat your ideas with more respect, get some bet- ter ideas.” Because there are times when one knows with absolute certainty that another’s ideas are horrifically, scarily wrong. One of those is the (hopefully minority) view that some teenage minors subjected to sexual abuse from adults should, “take some responsibility,” for what they have been, or may be, subject to. Bearing in mind the very robust comments on the matter from the Senior Magistrate over past months, one might confidently assume he has educated to the contrary, the minds of the ignorant or misguided. Unfortunately hav- ing heard stories of alternative opinions recently it seems that is still not the case. If Mr Gumsley will forgive my paraphrasing his comments, a child is a Interceptors, on the site at Byron Heights, designed to repel water child by law and it is incumbent on the adult to take responsibility for his while absorbing oil based substances. Picture: MP Photo Section actions. A child is also a child by nature; a product of society, upbringing, peer pressures and vulnerable to all of the confused and turbulent feelings char- acteristic of that age, and as such must be protected by law. And in turn if an Byron Heights clean- older man cannot ‘control’ himself in the face of underage teenage sexuality then that man must be removed from temptation and from society. up follows fuel spill On a more positive note, the aforementioned unpalatable opinion seems restricted to only a few, and we must hope that the recent spotlight on the THOUSANDS of litres of diesel ure. A series of trenches were dug subject of paedophilia (and I have only referred in this column to one small spilled on to Byron Heights on to minimise the distance the die- part of the subject) which has lead to a great deal of debate about the matter, West Falklands last week, fol- sel could travel, and equipment alongside the planned Government education programme and advertising lowing a rupture to a pipeline has been put in place to collect campaign, will mean it will be confined to even fewer. pumping the fuel from a sea-level and remove as much of the spilled *** pumping station to fuel storage fuel as possible, including multi- A FaceBook friend reporting this week that he had started his evening inter- tanks on the Ministry of Defence ple booms on the watercourse. preting for a Minister of State and ended it cooking in the Vic Bar, summed facility on the mountain. Head of FIG Environmental up how life in the Falklands has a tendency to keep a person well and truly During refuelling last Tuesday, Planning, Steve Butler visited grounded. A parallel experience involved me feeling a bit posh one evening a rupture in the pipeline was iden- Dunbar Farm with the MoD on while dining next to a Lord of the realm. I felt a little less grand crawling tified, resulting in the loss of fuel Wednesday to liaise with the land out of bed at 6.30am next morning in order to complete my Penguin News into the surrounding peat. Initial owners and ensure that they were paper round. If you’ll forgive the vulgar turn of phrase, to be ‘up yourself’ assessments of the incident were made aware of the approach to in the Falklands takes an awful lot of effort. delayed by poor weather condi- the clean-up operation. They dis- tions on the mountain. MoD and cussed concerns and suggestions Falkland Islands Government for how events could be avoided environmental officers travelled and addressed in the future. to the area, and met with local Yesterday the MoD confirmed landowners to discuss the situ- that Interserve Ltd personnel ation and proposed remediation continued to work on the ex- measures.