Boris Johnson to address nation as he describes Russian invasion as 'catastrophe for our continent

[Ponyclubkick]

Anyone finding the tone of this really quite terrifying...

I’m not one to get myself in a tizz over sensationalised news but this is starting to feel very different!

@Seedandyarn,

Curious to know what you think these conscripts’ will do and when?!

The posters here scoffing at Conscription are the same people who scoffed at the idea the UK would ever DARE put their people into lockdown or make them wear masks.

Not sure that's correct.

@MrsSkrebensky Ukraine is not in NATO.

Ukraine can not join NATO because to qualify it must have stable borders.

Ukraine does not have stable borders because of (the Russian sponsored) fighting in the Donbas region.

Thus the risk to Russia from NATO is unchanged - and wasn't about to change anytime soon. Russia is the aggressor.

@Blossomtoes there were always reserved occupations where you could not join up if you were doing that job, even voluntarily.

Women were conscripted too in WWII by the U.K. However today combat roles are open to women in the armed forces and so conscription today would be very different than in the past when women were limited to the land army and support roles like driving ambulances and such. Are we ready to have 18yr old girls coming home in body bags? Or repeatedly gang raped as POWs by enemy soldiers? I for one refuse to send any of my children into another foreign war that has nothing to do with the U.K. except to lower petrol and natural gas prices for us....

The posters here scoffing at Conscription are the same people who scoffed at the idea the UK would ever DARE put their people into lockdown or make them wear masks

Obviously no one can predict the future but in the short to medium term, we do not have the equipment for conscripts to train with, no where to house them, no guns to fire, no ships for them to sail in or planes for them to fly in... and unlike in 1939, we no longer have factories (or the workers , machinery and skills) that can be turned around to make them.

Oh and we sold of the airbases, army camps and dockyards, Portsmouth and Devonport have had large areas turned over for housing.

[quote alltheapples]@Blossomtoes there were always reserved occupations where you could not join up if you were doing that job, even voluntarily.[/quote]
Did I say there weren’t?

Johnson now speaking saying Ukraine is holding up extremely well.

@TheReluctantPhoenix The will do what they are told to do.

It's highly unlikely to be a war like WWII much more likely to be practical things like dealing with food production and whatever else needs to be done to keep the country moving.

Where did this story about conscription come from?

@EmpressCixi this is Probably what some people thought when Hitler invaded Sudentenland. Its not the UK's fight, its not our country. Guess what happened later on.

If we do not stop Putin now, he may invade Moldova, Lithuania, and god forbid Poland. How many countries does he have to invade for us to take him seriously? UK is a member of NATO, we are obligated to provide military support to other NATO countries. Or prevent dictators who are clearly on a path to invade NATO countries (and shelled a sovereign independent country today).

FFS
From Laura Kuenssberg
Foreign Sec has just told colleagues at emergency meeting of OSCE permanent council - 'on 10th Feb Foreign Minister Lavrov looked me in the eye + said Russia had no plans to invade Ukraine...Today the Russian govt has shown that they lied to the world'

The Russians have lied over and over again about their intentions. Even as they were invading Putin said that was not their intention.

@Alexandra2001why would it matter what was bought and sold when? If the nation needs it, it will be taken back/used in times of war the government and military have extraordinary powers they will do what needs to be done regardless of individual ownership.
If no longer available it will be rebuilt. Probably by the conscripts.

@empresscixi

the first time I read that - I thought you meant you would send them if it meant your fuel bill would be lower

He can barely keep the smile off his face,

Montenegro joined NATO in 2020. Hardly fits the definition.

The Minsk agreement would, if implemented, have removed the NATO threat once and for all but successive Ukranian govts refused.

The Donbass is full of people who consider themselves Russian. Self determination for Kosovo but not for them.

It's complex. The West has really destroyed the relationship between two countries who have so much in common.

@Seedandyarn

The posters here scoffing at Conscription are the same people who scoffed at the idea the UK would ever DARE put their people into lockdown or make them wear masks. Just like Lockdown the writing is on the wall, shouting about the rights and wrong of it is pointless but continue to bury your heads in the sand it wont make a difference anyway and your own personal beliefs will not matter to those in power.

Absolute utter fucking rubbish written by an 11 year old.

[quote Seedandyarn]@Alexandra2001why would it matter what was bought and sold when? If the nation needs it, it will be taken back/used in times of war the government and military have extraordinary powers they will do what needs to be done regardless of individual ownership.
If no longer available it will be rebuilt. Probably by the conscripts.[/quote]
The land simply isn’t there to be used as it has flats, blocks and hoses all over most of it. What are they going to do- bulldoze 1000’s of homes abs makes everyone homeless?

@Seedandyarn

The posters here scoffing at Conscription are the same people who scoffed at the idea the UK would ever DARE put their people into lockdown or make them wear masks. Just like Lockdown the writing is on the wall, shouting about the rights and wrong of it is pointless but continue to bury your heads in the sand it wont make a difference anyway and your own personal beliefs will not matter to those in power.

Who will they conscript?

One of the main reasons the NHS came into being was the population's poor state of health.

Now we've got covid killing off huge numbers of people - with many many more left disabled.

I also doubt having to choose between heat and eat, because of the lack of safety net in the UK, does much for the health either.

It's going to be a struggle to find enough healthy Brits to protect Ukraine.... thanks to the lack of protections for British people.

@MrsSkrebensky

Montenegro joined NATO in 2020. Hardly fits the definition.

The Minsk agreement would, if implemented, have removed the NATO threat once and for all but successive Ukranian govts refused.

The Donbass is full of people who consider themselves Russian. Self determination for Kosovo but not for them.

It's complex. The West has really destroyed the relationship between two countries who have so much in common.

I agree it’s complex but how much does self determination on part of many in Ukraine play a part?

@Tealightsandd

Aren’t you the poster who refers to people in the U.K. living outside of London as ‘The Others’?

But if people have real hand to mouth life which is with rising costs going to become even worse... joining up to have both eat and heat is potentially going to appeal to some

@DuncinToffee

FFS From Laura Kuenssberg Foreign Sec has just told colleagues at emergency meeting of OSCE permanent council - 'on 10th Feb Foreign Minister Lavrov looked me in the eye + said Russia had no plans to invade Ukraine...Today the Russian govt has shown that they lied to the world'

Truss is a fine one to talk as a member of the most untruthful cabinet in my lifetime.

Presumably, of course, we only need to protect Ukrainians who are under 40 and have no underlying conditions.... Which, with Long Covid damage, will be increasingly few.