Military conscription

He says he’d do whatever is needed in the national interest..

Quite.

The people claiming they'd run away or refuse to participate would be well advised to look at what tends to happen to indigenous populations when ideologically opposed nations invade each other.

They wouldn't be attempting an invasion of the UK just to remove Keir Starmer from office, so thinking you can just sit it out and watch it all roll past you is extremely naive. Being shot, blown to bits, or incinerated on the front line would be a mercy compared to the alternative.

This isn't just something that happened in the dim and distant past when nations were less civilised, it's been going on in occupied Ukraine since 2022.

Haven't thousands of rich Russians legged it to Dubai to avoid conscription?

From what I can gather, people who have family outside of the UK and Europe wouldn’t hang around here. They’d leave. I don’t think there’d be enough volunteers and conscription would be necessary.

It should definitely be older people to be conscripted first. Who’s going to be here in the future when all the old people die out in a few years. Plus no one to take care of them.

The way I look at it, is what is the alternative? The alternative isn't being left alone by the aggressor because we don't have enough people to fight, its violence, rape, torture, repression, and mass misery. I don't want that for me or my children so fighting is the only viable option.

It won't be young people first here anyway, it'd be the professional military and the reserves, most of whom are older (up until 65)

It would have been an "adventure " back then but now people are more aware and have mobile phones to make them bone idle.

The privilege of being an island nation has its drawbacks, making people more complacent, but nowhere is safe from Russia these days, the threat just comes in different forms. So perhaps in the future Brits will think differently (though of course I hope it never comes to that)

It's enlightening having an alternative view of someone on the thread who is currently aware of conscription in their country and going through it with family members in the future.

Seems an absolutely alien concept to many in peace time in the UK. I am unsure myself about the whole thing and need time to look into it more.

That’s really kind of you to say, thank you.

That’s great for you. I don’t think it has to be young people. Those who are keen can offer first.

We've had this discussion before you and I, but I'll just reiterate that I can completely understand why people in your country are a little bit more inclined toward "patriotism" than those in the UK.

Different histories, different geographies.

It's an indisputable fact that for all the privations forced upon UK and US civilians in both World Wars, not a single one of them actually had to expel an invader from their own soil, or live through an invasion of their homelands (Channel Islanders excepted), and I think the legacy of that fact is still pertinent even today. There is a reason why you are not the only nation with a pathological hatred for Russia, and it's a reason which simply does not apply in the case of Brits and Americans.

More than 70% of people in my country are willing to fight to defend it - not all young people are as selfish and short sighted as you think.

Weird you are worrying about that while Putin is paying prisoners to fight

The last of them died at the end of 2024. The chap before, a close friend and truly wonderful person, him was 2019. What he saw between being shot down over France and getting home from Germany after the war's end...a witness to some of the worst of it.

How could we imprison all the people that refuse?

Well given that we're talking about an almost end-of-the-world level crisis here, I very much doubt putting people in prison will be a consideration when putting a bullet through their skulls instead both solves that problem and sends a message to anyone else thinking about chickening out.

We can’t even get people off benefits. No one will comply to conscription. How could we imprison all the people that refuse? Prisons are full already. No one respects this country or its leader.

There’s a few leaders telling you otherwise. Maybe young people can say no. You said no thanks to frontline, they could too. There’s not much difference.

You mean imagine there's no wars ?

I suppose it's easy if you try,

We may be fiercely agreeing ...

I think people know that, they still don’t want their dc to do it. Maybe young people will all refuse en masse in every country. It’d be more rational than fighting for some old leader.

The entire point of my post is that the M.O.D won't give a hoot if some mumsnetter objects to their kids being conscripted, and it baffles me that so many appear to believe they have some sort of veto.

If it gets to the point where conscription papers are issued, nobody will just be jumping on an Easyjet to Spain to dodge it, and they will be appearing on your doorstep to ensure compliance if you neglect to turn up. They aren't going to pay any heed to a wailing or obstructive parent.

Men (and too many young boys) felt they had a moral obligation to sign up

To preserve the neutrality of Belgium ? They were very noble.

Well I could. But I was hoping a grown up could answer.