Take note, Tierra del Fuego politicians. There has never been a speech as fiery, as well-documented, as visceral in defense of the local industrial regime in Río Grande, nor in Ushuaia, nor anywhere in Tierra del Fuego, as the one delivered by Nahuel Arscone, the Justicialist Party councilor from San Rafael, Mendoza.

While southern policy was limited to lukewarm statements or complicit silence in the face of decree 333/2025—which reduces tariffs on imported cell phones and threatens the Tierra del Fuego industry —Arscone deployed a devastating analysis, a passionate defense, and a geopolitical vision that exposed the apathy of those who should be speaking out.

In a session of the San Rafael Deliberative Council , with the maps of bicontinental Argentina and Tierra del Fuego displayed, the Mendoza councilman asked: "Why am I showing this map of Bicontinental Argentina again? Because of this decree 333 of 2025 stipulated by this brain, Sturzenegger, who said 'Tierra del Fuego should become an amusement park.' This is what Sturzenegger said, that Tierra del Fuego has to be an amusement park." 

While Tierra del Fuego politics is limited to lukewarm statements, Arscone exposed the gravity of the moment: "Today, 7,000 jobs are being threatened on our island of Tierra del Fuego, in a population almost as large as San Rafael. It's the same as if something similar were to happen to San Rafael and 7,000 families were about to lose their jobs. What the hell are you talking about with a cheaper apple?"

With the precision of a historian, Arscone recalled the origins of the promotional regime: "Let's go over a little legal history. Do you know what they want to repeal with decree 333-2025? What they want to repeal is law 19,640 of 1972, which is the industrial and economic promotion of our island of Tierra del Fuego... The ideologists of that law were Juan Perón... but also Ernesto Campos, a radical developmentalist Frondizi supporter."

And he connected the past with the present in a brutal way: "When the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic islands had barely 5,000 inhabitants, today it has practically 190,000 inhabitants. Very similar to the number of inhabitants of San Rafael."

Arscone didn't limit himself to facts . He lashed out at the frivolity of the debate:  "So one thought, wow, how can we be analyzing this decree to see if you can buy an iPhone or not and if it's going to be cheaper or not? But what country are we living in, Mr. President, with the social problems we have, with how hard it is to make ends meet... and now we in Buenos Aires want to tell them that it's going to be cheaper to buy a cell phone with the apple logo with the bite mark. They're taking us for a ride." 

His indignation reached its peak when he denounced the logistical ineptitude: "I ask you, how do we get to Tierra del Fuego from here, from Mendoza? How do we get there? By plane, those who can, and if not, you have to go by road, and you have to cross via Chile. Via Chile! And you come to me talking about iPhones, Sturzenegger, and all this kind of tacky political leadership that's tiring me out. Move over, man! We're coming to Argentina asking for a runway. I want continental Argentina to be connected by crossing Argentine waters; I don't want to go through Chile anymore. What's bothering me about my iPhone?"

The reality revealed in every one of his words is where the Tierra del Fuego defenders of their own industry are. Arscone said it bluntly: "The International Monetary Fund, in the fine print, tells us about the need to repeal this law. But why do you think the Fund wants to repeal the monstrosity of Decree 333? Because they want to sell more iPhones? No, because they are geopolitically interested in southern Argentina."

While the government insists on the free market and many Fuegians remain silent, Arscone's true words resonated like a wake-up call: "This isn't just about economics; it's about sovereignty. And if we don't understand that, they'll be selling us a mirror while they dismantle Argentina. That's the truth we're not being told."

In the end, his warning was crystal clear: "You are putting the future of my children, my grandchildren, your children, and your grandchildren at risk." A warning that, coming from a Mendoza native, sounded more Fuegian than all the southern voices combined.

While the government insists that decree 333 is a "free market measure," and many people in Tierra del Fuego look the other way, the voice of a man from Mendoza, geographically distant but close in conviction, resonates like a bell: "Let's not be left with the empty news of the cheap iPhone. This is deeper: it's the tug-of-war between a country that surrenders and one that fights for what's its own."

And in that tug-of-war, for now, Nahuel Arscone seems more alone than ever. But also more lucid than everyone else.