"[Admiral] Lewin would come in and give the bad news straight away. He said he was sorry but the Sheffield had been sunk. That was one of the occasions when she would put her head down and stare at the table and I felt had really withdrawn herself from the war cabinet, for about a minute. Then she'd shake herself and come back in again, tears running down her face.

Margaret Thatcher: Oh, arms to Argentina, you won't will you?

Ronald Reagan: No, we won't.

Maybe we should ask the Falklanders how they feel about a war.

Will this thing jerk me off?

The spirit of the South Atlantic was the spirit of Britain at her best. It has been said that we surprised the world, that British patriotism was rediscovered in those spring days. It was never really lost. But it would be no bad thing if the feeling that swept the country then were to continue to inspire us. For if there was any doubt about the determination of the British people it was removed by the men and women who, a few months ago, brought a renewed sense of pride and self-respect to our country.

We have ceased to be a nation in retreat. We have instead a newfound confidence - born in the economic battles at home and tested and found true 8,000 miles away. And so today, we can rejoice at our success in the Falklands and take pride in the achievement of the men and women of our task force. But we do so, not as some flickering of a flame which must soon be dead. No, we rejoice that Britain has rekindled that spirit which has fired her for generations past and which today has begun to burn as brightly as before. Britain found herself again in the South Atlantic and will not look back from the victory she has won.

We knew what we had to do and we went about it and did it. Great Britain is great again.

It shows that the substance under test consists of ferrous metal of the highest quality. It is of exceptional tensile strength, resistant to wear and tear, and may be used with advantage for all national purposes.

Ron, I'm not handing over. I'm not handing over the islands now. I didn't lose some of my best ships and some of my finest lives to leave quietly under a ceasefire without the Argentines withdrawing.

It is exciting to have a real crisis on your hands, when you have spent half your political life dealing with humdrum issues like the environment.

The Government wants a peaceful settlement. But we totally reject a peaceful sell-out.

Gentlemen, I have spent the night thinking about this Peruvian (peace) initiative and I have to tell you that if it is your decision to accept then you will have to find another Prime Minister.

I'm standing up for the right of self-determination. I'm standing up for our territory. I'm standing up for our people. I'm standing up for international law. I'm standing up for all those territories - those small territories and peoples the world over - who, if someone doesn't stand up and say to an invader 'enough, stop', would be at risk.

Just rejoice at the news and congratulate our armed forces and the Marines. Rejoice!

Just rejoice at the news and congratulate our armed forces and the Marines. Rejoice!

The British won't fight.

Ah, Francois, it's you. You are with me.

I don't want to fight any wars; if you can get them off before we get there, you do it, but off they go.

The Task Force will cost this country a far greater humiliation than we have already suffered. The attempt will fail.

The people of the Falkland Islands, like the people of the United Kingdom, are an island race. They are few in number but they have the right to live in peace, to choose their own way of life and to determine their own allegiance. They way of life is British; their allegiance is to the Crown. It is the wish of the British people and the duty of Her Majesty's Government to do everything that we can to uphold that right. That will be our hope and our endeavour, and, I believe, the resolve, of every Member of this House.

The Prime Minister, shortly after she came into office, received a sobriquet as the 'Iron Lady'. It arose in the context of remarks which she made about defence against the Soviet Union and its allies; but there was no reason to suppose that the Right Honourable Lady did not welcome and, indeed, take pride in that description. In the next week or two this House, the nation and the Right Honourable Lady herself, will learn of what metal she is made.

If they are invaded, we have got to get them back.

Failure? The possibilities do not exist.

Our judgement is that the presence of the Royal Marines garrison is sufficient deterrent against any possible aggression.

When you stop a dictator there are always risks, but there are great risks in not stopping a dictator. My generation learned that long ago