Does anyone think there's a real chance of conscription?

I used to live near a rutal area with a few craters caused by Nazi bombs (and the odd unexploded grenade would be found occasionally).

Apparently they were aiming for the railway lines nearby but they never hit them. Always wondered if the pilots weren't really trying or were just crap shots.

If things come to this - I’d leave this country with my teenage son.

Would that affect you too? Would you be automatically included or would you need to volunteer or demand to be allowed to do it too?

It's just that the vast majority of the people I've experienced who are staunchly in favour of compulsory national service tend to be conveniently too old or otherwise not part of the group that is going to be included.

It's a bit like me saying that, because I live in the Midlands, everybody south of Oxfordshire should pay a 75% basic rate of income tax; or that everybody in Wales and Scotland should be banned from driving, to reduce climate change, and forced to swap their car for a horse.

That would be very unlikely. I think there would be a huge and innate desire to stand up and get involved.

Would that affect you too? Would you be automatically included or would you need to volunteer or demand to be allowed to do it too?

It's just that the vast majority of the people I've experienced who are staunchly in favour of compulsory national service tend to be conveniently too old or otherwise not part of the group that is going to be included.

It's a bit like me saying that, because I live in the Midlands, everybody south of Oxfordshire should pay a 75% basic rate of income tax; or that everybody in Wales and Scotland should be banned from driving, to reduce climate change, and forced to swap their car for a horse.

In fact Nazi targeted working class areas of country for bombing hoping to start a class war - well that what one TV documenatry was telling me.
Hmm. Isn't it more likely that they were targeting shipyards and factories/munitions works, which is where the workers lived? Not much point in bombing Belgravia, really.

No, but I would welcome some form of national citizen service to be honest, with a military option.

Mass civil disobedience. You get real.

What would ‘not tolerating your child being conscripted’ look like though? They would be ordered to fight, with no choice in the matter. You would have no power to stop it. I have a son (and a daughter) and don’t want bloody WW3 but let’s get real.

I do think about it. But times have changed, would you tolerate your boys being drafted to fight for Ukraine? I wouldn'tand i think others would be the same from what ive read online. I don't think they'd want to deal with that on a large scale whilst fighting Russia if the situation was so dire that they needed a draft in the first place.

You can Google these things.

Churchill was a Tory. He was preceeded by Chamberlain, also a Tory known for his great appeasement policy (aka rubbing Hitlers belly and asking him if he wanted his ears scratched too - remind you of anyone orange faced). Hitler did precisely what he told Chamberlain he wouldn't in invading Poland and in doing so Chamberlain had no choice but to declare war on Germany and thus WW2 was started.
Churchill became PM shortly after when it became painfully obvious Chamberlain could not lead during wartime.

At the 1945 GE, the first in peacetime, labour won by a landslide as Churchill's campaign was focused still on War and Atlee (who won) ran on a pledge to rebuild and make things better. His government started things like laying the foundations for the welfare state, NHS and pensions.

Council housing was already a big thing, having been delivered in the wake of WW1 but labour delivered it to more (slum clearances, 1950s estates,).

I am in my 30s with no elderly relatives to ask but I read and learn these things as I don't think we can inform the future without learning about the past.

I do think about it. But times have changed, would you tolerate your boys being drafted to fight for Ukraine? I wouldn'tand i think others would be the same from what ive read online. I don't think they'd want to deal with that on a large scale whilst fighting Russia if the situation was so dire that they needed a draft in the first place.

I keep hearing the word bandied around and it's starting to turn me into a conspiracy theorist! I have two boys of 'fighting age' (I've two girls too but I assume they won't be first) I don't want any of my children to be sent to war especially someone else's war! You can bet your life Starmers kids won't be sent!

See my earlier post.
These things were promised by the coalition government whilst the war was still on going in a series of white papers.

But that's not the point, when you're in the army you continue to fight until you're either dead or discharged. To do otherwise is classed in the 40s resulted in prison and dishonourable discharge.

It won’t happen for a number of reasons.

But saying ‘my kids won’t be going..’ - well, they would because it would be the law. And you’d be arrested for interfering.

I know those things happened but no-one has answered my question about when these things were promised.

If you were moving your way across the Sahara with your unit in 1943 I doubt if you kept fighting because you'd been promised an NHS or a welfare state. It was a damn long way to get home if you deserted so you stuck in there with your mates because you somehow felt you had a cause in common with others and you knew if you survived the day you'd get food and maybe a beer.

I doubt it would happen. And no,of course Starmer's kids wouldn't get called up, even if it DID happen,the same as Rishi Sunak's kids wouldn't have been called up to do National Service,if he had been able to proceed with the scheme.

From another thread

constantgarden · 25/01/2024 00:18

The WW2 conscript army kept fighting because they were promised the NHS, welfare state, council housing, and all that was delivered after the war. That’s all been dismantled.