Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

tristandc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 113 posts

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#71

Post by ramesh31 »

echoangle wrote: post #27

Very nice story. One thing I often ask myself in these situations: What do the inhabitants on these islands actually do? There are 259 of them in this case. Are they self-sustaining? How do they pay for stuff the want to import? Do they live off the cruise ships they supply? And do people generally stay there or do young people generally move to mainland? Edit: For economy, it looks like they live off exporting langu…

>Are they self-sustaining? How do they pay for stuff the want to import

Generally the modern day population of these types of islands are simply cover for the government to maintain political control of an area of ocean surrounding them. Same deal with the Falklands, Orkney/Shetland, etc. To that end their entire existence is more or less subsidised because of this.

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#72

Post by seszett »

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #52
bcjdjsndon wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We shouldn't be wasting a penny on colonies, this isn't the age of Napoleon anymore, get the English out of any country that isn't England.

The one thing you seem to be missing in your anticolonialist tirades is the fact that Tristan was uninhabited. It’s not like native peoples were displaced by the British colonists, right?

Many self-described anticolonialists forget that "self-determination" doesn't actually mean "people who live far away from the mainland should just fuck off and take care of themselves".

I've experienced it a bit as a Frenchman (and we have quite a few remote territories as well) who has lived on a couple of remote places (that were uninhabited as well before becoming French, but that shouldn't actually matter) and it's incredible how puny, short-sighted and simply egoistical some people can be.

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#73

Post by redanddead »

Very nice poem from a local:

  On windswept shores where oceans foam,
  Far from the bustle and noise of home,
  The island watched the grey skies part,
  With hope returning to every heart.

  Across the vastness the RAF flew through,
  With medicine, medics, and military too,
  Parachuting in with skill and courage on our shore,
  The impossible was accomplished to the core.

  Tristan da Cunha, proud and small,
  A community who always stand together through it all,
  Neighbours helping each other, such an amazing sight,
  Hoping everything done before the loss of daylight.

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#74

Post by dboreham »

ramesh31 wrote: post #71
echoangle wrote: post #27

Very nice story. One thing I often ask myself in these situations: What do the inhabitants on these islands actually do? There are 259 of them in this case. Are they self-sustaining? How do they pay for stuff the want to import? Do they live off the cruise ships they supply? And do people generally stay there or do young people generally move to mainland? Edit: For economy, it looks like they live off exporting langu…

>Are they self-sustaining? How do they pay for stuff the want to import Generally the modern day population of these types of islands are simply cover for the government to maintain political control of an area of ocean surrounding them. Same deal with the Falklands, Orkney/Shetland, etc. To that end their entire existence is more or less subsidised because of this.

Orkney is only 20 miles from the UK mainland so I'm not sure that's the reason. People there make fudge which is pretty good. Until recently (1956) it hosted a major Royal Navy base.

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#75

Post by fiftyacorn »

bcjdjsndon wrote: post #41
fiftyacorn wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah and helps demonstrate thst Tristan is strategically important

I think it's rich the English dont like foreigners given how many countries they think they're entitled to posses

Not sure what that means. What do you think the Uk claims to own?

Lots of european countries owned colonies until the post-war settlement.

And immigration to UK is at an all time high so not sure on other point?

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#76

Post by bcjdjsndon »

seszett wrote: post #72
loloquwowndueo wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one thing you seem to be missing in your anticolonialist tirades is the fact that Tristan was uninhabited. It’s not like native peoples were displaced by the British colonists, right?

Many self-described anticolonialists forget that "self-determination" doesn't actually mean "people who live far away from the mainland should just fuck off and take care of themselves". I've experienced it a bit as a Frenchman (and we have quite a few remote territories as well) who has lived on a couple of remote places (that were uninhabited as well before becoming French, but that shouldn't actually matter) and i…

I'm missing your point here

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#77

Post by bcjdjsndon »

venzaspa wrote: post #69
bcjdjsndon wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did assume, and it makes a change, but Britain isn't in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.

No, you're correct Britain is a collection of islands in the northern hemisphere. This however is an island in the Atlantic ocean and is a British Overseas Territory.

> This however is an island in the Atlantic ocean and is a British Overseas Territory.

Britain is actually 3 countries under the control, largely, of England. Britain is the name they use for their empire loot.

They can call it what they like, if they dont mind giving up say, the south coast of Britain? No, then pot kettle my man.

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#78

Post by pyrale »

stavros wrote: post #22

> The plane flew between Inaccessible and Tristan My god there actually is an island called Inaccessible Island! That's fantastic.

I'm sure you'll be happy to learn that access to Inaccessible Island must be granted by the local government office.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaccessible_Island

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#79

Post by gaiagraphia »

bcjdjsndon wrote: post #39
Arnt wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a classic. It occurs in two forms: Wow, logistics to are very expensive! We could spend that money better in the cities! Wow, logistics in is expensive! We could spend that money better in rural areas! I read about a new road tunnel in London last year, a ten-digit price tag for about 1km of road IIRC. I'm 100% sure some people suggested that that money could have been better spent in rural areas.

We shouldn't be wasting a penny on colonies, this isn't the age of Napoleon anymore, get the English out of any country that isn't England.

You're suggesting that we should run a h3 grid over the world and assign everybody territory based on their haploytype?

Or is it only the 'English' who should be confined to certain geogrpahical parameters?

I'm English and live in another nation. I'm guessing me and my family should go 'home'?

Re: Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha

#80

Post by senordevnyc »

dboreham wrote: post #74
ramesh31 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Are they self-sustaining? How do they pay for stuff the want to import Generally the modern day population of these types of islands are simply cover for the government to maintain political control of an area of ocean surrounding them. Same deal with the Falklands, Orkney/Shetland, etc. To that end their entire existence is more or less subsidised because of this.

Orkney is only 20 miles from the UK mainland so I'm not sure that's the reason. People there make fudge which is pretty good. Until recently (1956) it hosted a major Royal Navy base.

Isn’t the hosting of a naval base a good example of this island being subsidized because the government wants to control the waters around it? And it being close to mainland is another reason, you don’t want another country having an island that close to you.
Post reply on HN