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Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Part of UK in Sweden

13th March 2013

The Falkland Islands: Having Their Say

Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt tweeted on 11 March:

“Today people on Falkland Islands will express their view on whether they want the islands to remain part of the UK or not. We will listen.”

The answer was clear. On a 92% turnout, 99.8% voted to stay a British Overseas Territory.

This was not some Soviet-era style plebiscite. This was a clear affirmation of a desire, freely expressed, to remain British.

Here are some extracts from an article by a member of the Falkland Islands Assembly, which eloquently expresses the Islanders’ viewpoint.

The referendum sends a clear message to the international community – a resounding ‘yes’ to our desire to remain as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. This is the will of the people, a decision that has been expressed freely and unequivocally. It is also our fundamental democratic right, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

Our relationship with the UK is a modern relationship, based on democratic values, and it is constantly evolving. So are we. Like Argentina, our society is made up of European settlers. But, like Argentina, we are an open and increasingly cosmopolitan society. Over twenty nationalities voted in the referendum – including Argentines, Chileans, Americans, Russians and Britons: but all of them Falkland Islanders.

These Islands have been our home for nearly one hundred and eighty years. Some of us have family ties going back nine generations. We are a proud, flourishing community. And we are a people who have rights.

We will focus on growing our economy through the sustainable management of fisheries, tourism and agriculture, and we will strive to develop our oil industry in an environmentally responsible manner. We will continue to place the highest value on health and education, and helping our young people to reach their full potential.

There are opportunities for Argentina in this future. By working together, as we used to do, we can both be more successful and more prosperous. We are not there yet, but hopefully in time, we will be again.

So this week the Falkland Islands people have had their say. It is time for other nations around the world, who respect democracy and political freedoms, to stand up and lend us their support.

About Paul Johnston

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially. He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide…

Paul Johnston joined the UK Civil Service in 1990, working for the Ministry of Defence initially.

He has served in Paris and New York and has also had a wide range of political and security roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Paul joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1993 as Desk Officer for Bosnia. As part of this role he was also Private Secretary to EU negotiator Lord Owen and his representative on Bosnia Contact Group.

His first foreign posting was to Paris in 1995-99 as Second Secretary Political. He was Private Secretary to the Ambassador and latterly part of the UK delegation to the Kosovo Rambouillet negotiations. Then he returned to London as Head of the Kosovo Policy Team, leading work on post-conflict policy in the EU, NATO, UN and G8.

Before his second overseas posting to New York in 2005, Paul held a variety of other EU policy and security appointments in London, such as Head of European Defence Section between 2000-01 and Head of Security Policy Department between 2002-04.

As Head of the Political Section in UKMIS New York, he advised on major policy issues for the UK on the Security Council and the UN World Summit, including the UK EU Presidency in 2005.

Paul returned to London in 2008 as Director, International Security for the FCO. He was responsible for policy on UN, NATO, European Security, arms control and disarmament, human rights and good governance.

Paul was British Ambassador to Sweden from August 2011 to August 2015 and then was Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO.

He was UK Ambassador to the EU for Political and Security affairs from 2017 to January 2020 and became Ambassador to Ireland in September 2020.

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Carl Bildt Falkland Islands self determination