Military conscription

"If you want peace, prepare for war"

In regards to conscripting immigrants - male immigrants in Finland that take Finnish citizenship have to do national service just like other Finnish males (unless over 30 when they get citizenship).

My husband is a veteran and I wholeheartedly disagree.

His resettlement package was generous and he used it wisely. He used every single one of his learning credits, because you get one opportunity and one opportunity only. His resettlement period was through Covid, so not all the courses he initially wanted to do were available so he sat with his resettlement advisor, went through everything with a fine tooth comb and found courses as close as possible to what he needed.

His resettlement advisor helped him every step of the way. She helped him with his CV and he checked in with him regularly. She was the one who contacted him because she heard about a vacancy that she thought would suit him down to the ground. It did, he got the job and was quickly promoted once he joined that company.

Upon leaving he was given an incredibly generous lump sum, his pension is more than a lot of people’s salaries.

Resettlement is like everything, it’s there to be used if you want to but as the saying goes “you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink…”

DS1 is currently serving, the army are going to pay for his degree. Education is there if you want it.

Can you confirm that you’d rather you, your children and everyone else in the UK do nothing in a WWIII scenario and then get killed by an enemy bomb on home turf or invaded by said enemy?

I hope my child would but I don’t control her.

I am very much too old but would be happy to do whatever I was capable of.

The Americans already do. But then they sometimes deport them afterwards. Like twats. And typically the people who get citizenship for service are loyal soldiers.

Some countries do it for people who are specifically qualified. For example Spain with Latin Americans. I suppose we could do it for former colonies/commonwealth (who haven’t read their history and don’t despise us).

So if the US decides to annex Greenland your expectations are that everyone else ie not you or yours, has to sort it out.

Just keep your fingers crossed that the orange idiot is only sabre rattling.

Sorry, I didn't realise you were being facetious otherwise I wouldn't have posted something so poignant

There's a saying similar to "They who ignore history are doomed to repeat it"

Please have a thought for those families I posted about . . .

I wouldn't put that past some politicians.

However in reasonably informed discussion elsewhere on that idea one worry often expressed, especially by some have seen active service fairly recently, is where would those conscripts' loyalties actually lie?

@BobbinogProbably because the government are well aware that the said new arrivals intrinsically hate this country, its people and our values. That’s why many would argue that we are already being ‘invaded’.

Places like Finland and Poland are preparing for war. And paradoxically, it makes war less likely.

If there comes a time when we have to step up to defend ourselves, I very much hope there will be many, many people who are ready, willing and able, unlike the OP who sounds like a real milquetoast.

Haven’t RTFT but there are very good reasons women are typically not conscripted.

First, someone has to do the work at home. It may as well be women.

Second, the most important, is that you can repopulate a country with fewer men but you need as many women as you can get. Eggs are expensive, sperm is cheap. It’s a horrible thing. Mother Nature doesn’t care. The UK lost about 15% of its young men in WWI. Plus injuries and disabilities. Some countries like Serbia and France lost a much higher proportion. You can’t rebuild without the women.

Third, women are great for many tasks. We eat less, can starve for longer, can do a lot of endurance things well. Just as intelligent., great at many tasks. But when strength is a factor, whether that’s coal mining or front line infantry, men are better. Of course if people are flying drones, doing intelligence, whatever, great, ask women.

Another thing, when thinking about Russia in particular, is rape. As a weapon of war, and as a means of genocide. Russia is famous for it. Whole battalions of women coming back pregnant from being in POW camps? What would that do to society?

I don’t want conscription, for anyone. But war may be coming so I hope you have a plan for your family if you want the UK to roll over and give up.

Am sure they would be too. But since Russian young people ultimately acquiesced and joined the attack on Ukraine, how do you think Ukrainian young people should have responded - ignore the invasion and keep gaming?

I'm surprised no political parties have suggested that in order for young, male asylum seekers to get leave to remain then they have to do 5-10 years compulsory conscription into the army.

What is the alternative? War isn't consensual, it's ultimately one sided act.

You can react - defend, counter attack or surrender.
And you can try to prevent it, or not.

Saying "we won't fight" is effectively issuing an invitation to be invaded, because there won't be any resistance.

Who is saying children would be conscripted, OP?

Can you imagine a situation where our young men, children, husbands are conscripted and sent off to fight somewhere in Europe while tens of thousands of fit healthy young male asylum seekers remain in their hotels, far away from danger. There would be a civil war!

War is a ridiculous thing, used by politicians to gain more power at the cost of young people.

That young people from Russia and Ukraine, who have so much in common in terms of culture, language and even family are killing each other and killing both of their countries' futures is a tragedy to both.

I'm fairly sure they'd all rather by gaming.

Have you ever heard the history of the Pals Regiments during WW1?

"Pals Battalions in WW1 were volunteer units where friends, family, and workmates enlisted together, encouraged by patriotic fervour to serve side-by-side, with early examples forming from London stockbrokers and later in northern cities like Liverpool, Manchester, and Hull, creating strong local ties but leading to devastating losses when entire battalions were wiped out, famously on the first day of the Somme"

Absolutely nobody should be compelled to give their mind and body to war. The fact that in 2025 we are still accepting of war as a default state for the world to be in and debating the finer points of who would be conscripted is appalling.

I’m curious, is it fighting for your country as governments will change.

Nobody wants a war.

first thing that will happen is that supply chains will vanish

next thing is that that medication will become restricted and essential only

state benefits will be disrupted

But go ahead and accept who ever wants to invade us.

I'll go happily before I send my children

I'd probably be more useful anyway.

I don't think they'll use conscription. Russia has used financial incentives as well as media propoganda quite effectively.

If we consider how quickly behavioural change was created due to fear and scaremongering in covid I think we can see how it could done again in a war situation, targeted through social media to convince young people that they should once again sacrifice themselves for the safety and protection of their 'elders and betters'.

What a great idea! Our younger generations once again damaged and harmed for the benefit of other generations, who pay nothing for what they have taken and do everything they can to take further from the younger generation.