Military conscription

As my user name suggests I have some experience 37 years worth to be exact. And reading this I am wondering why I bothered. Any one who wouldn’t defend the country should have a close look at Russia and its controlled states. Can you imagine moaning about the government on MN and the door knocks and that’s the last your family ever sees of you. Or I’m on benefits well no you can work in this factory or work camp. You really don’t understand your privilege or the cost of that privilege in terms of being ready to defend it. And for what it’s worth I would go back because I still consider our freedoms are important even if it means that we have to pit up with people running the country down rather than getting off their arse to make it a better place. Rant over.

Have you ever tried to cross a park whilst a Park Run is in progress? 😂

Really the depressing part is that wouldn’t matter. People who are unfit but want to send younger, fitter people could still step up instead.

This is what I'm worrying about currently. It's the death of NATO regardless. And is our American-supplied software-based kit going to function?

Army 2020? I was in during 'Options for Change" in the 1990's! Governments do love a nice bit of military emasculation.

Most people in the UK are so unfit they get out of breath if they have to get out of the chair.

Hand me a gun and I'll gladly defend my doorstep but like fuck are me and mine going to another land to be drone fodder.

War is war if it happens it happens, but right now it's not happening, so let's just get on with life as usual.

I mean some make me laugh with oh I will have as stock pile of food, batteries etc.
Well its not gonna do you any good if bombs are being dropped, and you have to run and leave it.

All the scare tactics are getting boring now.

There are so many ‘get outs’ for a start we may as well surrender now.

Because there hasn't been? Unless you can show me where anyone in a position of power has suggestion we would consider conscription? I follow the news pretty closely, and every statement I've seen is that we wouldn't.

Yet I knew many, sadly all now departed, who said that it very much was worth it.

Impossible situation isn’t it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nobody wins here. There is no palatable solution to any of it.

We wouldn’t go to war, obviously, because it could be suicidal. The USA would destroy us, we have to be their ally.

On the conscription front, a conscripted army is a terrible idea, surrender is a worse one.

Why? Ukraine is a modern war.

There's no suggestion that we would use conscription in a modern war, so this really isn't a subject to get your knickers in a twist about.

Chew us up and shit us out when they’re done is the simple answer.

The “resettlement packages” when you’re getting out are a joke….and I was mentally well when I got out.
But it is very much sign the paperwork, and “bye 👋🏻 our obligation to on to you is over now, rely on charities if you need help”

Unless the government went full on Nazi Germany and started shooting those that didn’t comply they would struggle to do that.

How do they treat them?

You’re right.
Its terrifying times.
Last I heard, the US military budget is bigger than the next 7 countries combined….so even if every other NATO member had a whip round, there’s probably not enough money/firepower/manpower to make much difference.

If there was an invasion then I think many would feel differently. Genuine conscientious objectors like Desmond Dawes who refused to handle a gun in WW2 that Hacksaw Ridge was based on can do vital roles that do not involve fighting. In any invasion women and children are the most vulnerable, rapes occur in every theatre of war. Very few people actually want to fight. But if the enemy was actually at the door and would summarily execute people for not fitting in with whatever their ideals were and your sisters were forced to work as Comfort women which also happened in WW2 isn’t that worth fighting for. Look at history, we fool ourselves if we think we are anymore civilised than our ancestors.

War isn't started by mutual consent of two parties, it is started by hostility of one party.

Why Ukraine should matter? Because if Russia would manage to get Ukraine, they wouldn't stop there. They would conscript the Ukrainians and use them as the attack force at Poland, Slovakia, Baltic countries, Bulgaria and Romania. And those are NATO members. (This isn't a conspiracy theory, this is what Russia is doing right now with people from the occupied parts of Ukraine).

Peace works only when it is better than alternative - for everyone. Which means it works only when the potential aggressor fears that costs of starting the war are too big to make it profitable for them.

The UK would be deciding whether you care about setting the price tag for starting a waror whether you are ok with the price going down. And boots in the ground war isn't the only war.

But do you think NATO is going to survive the next few years, will NATO countries still be able to meet their obligations under ARTICLE 5 without the support of the USA? Trump has made his feelings very clear. We live in dangerous times.

Given the situation outlined in my post above, prisons would be full.

it's safe to assume that the government would start using the plan written for how to deal with people in the aftermath of an nuclear attack.

you would be forcibly conscripted to provide labor at home for the war effort (ammo factory, NHS body dragger, infrastructure repair)

We can't even fund our current army properly let alone add in a load of conscripts. Conscription can't happen unless a lot more money is put into the armed forces and Labour is currently willing to do that.

Probably. Whoever is asking for others to go can step up first.