Margaret Thatcher was 8,000 miles from home when she finally saw the Falklands for herself.
This was January 1983, only months after Britain had fought to retake the islands from Argentina.
Thatcher spent several days travelling around the Falklands, meeting British troops, visiting Stanley and going out to places where some of the hardest fighting had taken place.
She visited the airfield at Stanley and saw the Royal Engineers rebuilding it. She went to a beach where Argentine mines were still lying in the ground. She visited Fitzroy, Goose Green and San Carlos, and laid wreaths at the military cemeteries.
You can get a sense of how much the visit meant to her from what she said at the time. She described arriving in the Falklands as one of the “three great experiences” of the whole crisis.
At Port Stanley, she spoke about the task force travelling 8,000 miles, the fighting to retake the islands and the young British servicemen who had paid the ultimate price.
The islanders then gave Thatcher the Freedom of the Falkland Islands, praising her “courageous steadfast and unyielding leadership” during the campaign.
And Thatcher wasn't backing away afterwards either. Asked about negotiations with Argentina, her answer was blunt:
“We’re not negotiating on sovereignty.”
The war was over.
But for Thatcher, the job wasn't. Britain still had to defend the islands, support the people living there and make sure the sacrifice of those who died had meant something.
This photo was taken during that visit, when the victory was still fresh and the scars of the war were everywhere.
THEY CAN ARREST THE PREACHER. THEY CAN’T ARREST THE GOSPEL.
We’ve seen street preachers arrested in Britain, including Pastor Steve Maile in Watford and Pastor Dia Moodley in Bristol. Moodley’s investigation was eventually dropped with no further action.
You can put a preacher in handcuffs, you can tell him to stop talking...
but you still can’t silence the message.
Jesus Christ is still being preached. 🇬🇧
Jodie Chesney (2001 – 1 March 2019)
She was just 17. She was sitting with her friends, listening to music, when two men walked into the park and her life was suddenly taken from her. 🇬🇧
Jodie Chesney was an Explorer Scout from east London. She had been enjoying an ordinary evening with friends in Amy’s Park, Harold Hill, on 1 March 2019.
She had nothing to do with the dispute that brought the attackers there. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jodie was stabbed in the back and died before reaching hospital.
Her killers, Svenson Ong-a-Kwie and Arron Isaacs, were later convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with minimum terms of 26 and 18 years respectively.
Jodie should have had decades ahead of her. More birthdays. More adventures. More ordinary evenings with friends.
Instead, her family were left to grieve a daughter who should still be here.
Jodie Chesney.
17 years old.
A daughter. A sister. A friend. An Explorer Scout.
Never forgotten. 🌹🇬🇧
@Variety the claim of being 'terminated' could trigger an employment tribunal if true the band may face breach of contract claims. defamation risk looms
@unusual_whales a jump overboard triggers a service offence
expect a board of inquiry. will the carrier’s command be held accountable for duty‑of‑care lapses?
@atrupar no charges yet but undisclosed extremist payments would breach the transparency of payments act
will a parliamentary inquiry force collins to testify?
veterans who served this country should be able to display the flag they fought under without being made to feel like they've done something wrong.
if officers really cautioned them over displaying the Union Flag, the obvious question is: what exactly was considered offensive, and why?
patriotism should not become something ordinary people are afraid to show.
this is how public trust in policing gets eroded.
attendees say road closures left wheelchair and mobility-scooter users needing help from fellow protesters, while officers stood nearby.
if the police are there to keep people safe, especially the most vulnerable, why were protesters having to step in themselves?
people will remember how they were treated.
🚨 THIS WAS THE MOMENT BRITAIN WATCHED THE SAS GO TO WAR LIVE ON TV.
In 1980, six gunmen stormed the Iranian Embassy in London and took 26 people hostage. After six days, one hostage was killed and the SAS was ordered in.
Operation Nimrod was caught on camera, with the opening moments of the raid being broadcast live to millions of people watching at home.
Just 17 minutes later, it was over. All but one of the remaining hostages had been rescued and five of the six gunmen were killed.
The fact that this was happening in central London and being shown live on TV makes this footage even crazier.
British military history has some absolutely incredible moments.
if the rules are supposed to apply equally, why does enforcement so often look completely different depending on who is standing in the street?
people notice the double standard.
@DailyMail this livestream likely breaches uk law on violent content, could trigger police investigation and possible prosecution for public incitement.