At last night's Surrey Heath Parliamentary hustings, the Reform UK candidate blamed the Conservatives for starting the Falklands War.
This inflammatory statement from Sam Goggin is an insult to those that served in the conflict, and disrespects the sacrifices of the 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders who were killed. As stated by Shane Mason, writing for the UK Defence Journal, this is a "a shocking ignorance of historical events and a disturbing tendency to distort facts for political gain."
The Argentine dictator General Galtieri, ordered and invaded the Falkland Islands on the 2nd April 1982, with the British Government, under Conservative Prime Minister Margret Thatcher, responding by dispatching a naval task force to liberate the islands from Argentine aggression on 5th April 1982. What followed was a 74 day conflict ending in Argentinian surrender on the 14th June.
Sam Goggin's revisionist history undermines the reality of the Argentine military junta's expansionist and aggressive policies that precipitated the conflict.
Commenting, Ed McGuinness said:
"Is Nigel Farage seriously going to stand behind the Reform UK candidate Samantha Goggin who blames the Falklands War on the Conservatives? The Conservative British Government stood up to defend Falklanders’ freedom.
"It’s an insult to veterans. And as one, I think it’s pathetic."
