How two-faced can you get?

Yep,,2,.3,.4,faced even.

I'd too suggest that the situation with the vote in Crimea is rather different to those countries you have mentioned. However for me, much as I see no reason to butt into the affairs of other countries (provided what's going on IS legal), I'm more concerned about what happens next. Crimea one day, Ukraine the next? That's when all this becomes more than an internal affair, to me.

Eg. So the Falklands vote to stay British - Argentina doesn't like that so marches in?? Same with Gibraltar - Spain just marches in? Given that Crimea IS basically Russian, with or without a vote to tell Russia that.

The UK government is famous for having contradictory and hypocritical foreign policy - Perfidious Albion. I should point out that the British government will respect the result of the referendum in Scotland, even if it results in the break up of the UK.

I think the world should respect the right of self-determination in Gibraltar, the Falklands and Crimea - and everywhere else. If the people of Crimea want to be part of Russia, they should have that right. But I don't think the referendum should take place at the moment. They should wait for Ukraine and its government to stabilise.

Argentina is also being hypocritical. They claim the Falklands in the name of territorial integrity. But they have very close relations with Russia and have said nothing about Ukraine's territorial integrity or Russia's invasion of Crimea. Spain is being consistent, it doesn't support self-determination in Gibraltar, Catalonia or Crimea.

Totally different concepts

Spain wants to take over control of Gibraltar. Argentina wants to take over the Falklands

Both countries are under the sovereignty of the UK and for political reasons i.e. these two countries won't stop banging the drum and aren't getting the message, the UK government gave them referendums to allow the inhabitants the opportunity to demonstrate that they do not want to leave UK sovereignty

Notice I said the UK government gave the countries a referendum. It is ultimately up to the UK government whether or not Gibraltar and the Falklands can leave UK sovereignty

Crimea is officially part of the Ukraine and it is up to the government of the Ukraine to decide if a referendum should be held

The referendum in Crimea wasn't decided by the government of the Ukraine. Those who've annexed Crimea have decided that and so it's not an officially recognised referendum

The region is under military control as well so why would anybody even believe the vote wasn't rigged?

If the people of Crimea want to leave the Ukraine they have to get permission from the government

Why do you think there has been conflict in Catalan for so long?

Freedom is a wonderful construct. The reality is it belongs to those who control the country

I support the right of the Crimeans to decide, but I'd rather this referendum took place again, this time without Russian troops stationed in Crimea and with the votes counted by impartial observers, and when there are no threats of violence from either side.

Hear hear. Every region as large as Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Crimea, the Basque country and Catalonia should have an unimpeded right to self-determination on the basis of the democratically expressed view of the people. And I would point out that Crimea is one of the larger of these regions.

As to the obedient, American inspired honks of 'illegal' coming from all the hired governments of American-paid collaborators, this is exactly what the English imperialists would have said about a popular vote in Ireland, called by Irish leaders, before 1922. And it is just what Franco's successors are saying about Catalan independence today.

Power to the people in Crimea and many other places! Ura pobieda, Tovarichi!

I suppose we dont know who has set up this referendum and if its voting is fair or not. We have a duty to those people who want to remain a part of Ukraine. It would have been better to have let the UN conduct any vote ?

In the case of Gibraltar and the Falklands the vote was carried out knowing full well that 98% (at least) would want to remain British. It was just a public excise to prove a point.and of course Britain is well qualified and experienced enough to conduct a vote (although I think a couple of the black counties sent "observers" !)

Scotland is a little different,where some of them decide after 300 years its a shame to be British,although they can be Scottish at the same time.

I have no wish to fall out with any of our Scottish users so I will let that subject sort itself out as it will.

Yes, Putin is calling their bluff nicely. But the fact is Crimea has been Russia before 1957 for longer than most of the US has been American.

The Ukraine is being balkanized deliberatively by the West however.

As the example of places like Ireland and Kashmir show, partitioning a country along ethnic lines can led to more tensions. Partitioning after all was a typically British Imperialist response to such situations over the years.

This being exasperated by the EU for example creating agitation between the Crimean Tartars and the pro-Russian Crimeans.

This is a situation which is being set up for instability by western aggression all with the aim of getting at Russia - all at the expense of Ukrainians of all ethnicities who are being used as pawns in a bigger nasty geo-political game. .

As crimea is obviously russian and was stolen by the bolchevik khroutchov, a referendum for the return to russia is not really necessary...putin I a nice person and organises one nevertheless.

gibraltar and falklands were seized under dubious conditions by the brits...but if their poulation today decides by referendum to stay with britain, this is fine with me.

It seems to me that even Canada are crying foul over this Crimean vote, yet how many times will Quebec be allowed to vote on separation from Canada?

Nowadays, democracy has been turned into a tool of Japanese Militarism. Leaders of democratic countries should turn back to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), so that they can be models for developing countries as China and Russia.

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages...