If there was a war and conscription was mandatory would you go?

[visitingagain]

Do people think the government has the right to conscript people? Should people who won't comply get punished?

I suppose it would depend on the war.

WW2 a fight against facism or a threat to our democracy and national safety? Give me my gun and where do I join up? It's my duty, I enjoy freedom and peace, so why should it be another to fight for me and not the other way around?

A war over foreign territory or oil? No ty, not my jam.

My grandfather was a conscientious objector in WW2 (Quaker). He avoided jail as far as I know, but ended up working as a mining engineer (so not right at the coal face); I don't know how voluntary that was, or if it was an option for conscientious objectors.

Germany had national service until about 20 years ago; you could opt for a shorter time (less than a year) in the armed forces or longer (about 18 months) doing a civilian role - the friend who explained this had worked as a carer for disabled adults. Offering a choice like that made service much more palatable to the general population.

@fantasmasgoria1

I walk with a stick so I doubt they would want me! 😂

I think you could bonk a nazi on the head with a stick! Might knock sense into them!

I'd have you in my platoon definitely!

@Vanishun

I imagine the armed forces wouldn't be best pleased to have to resort to it.

It would have to be a desperate last measure, and a weird one in the age of remote missiles and economic and virtual warfare etc.

At that stage, who knows? Maybe it would just be a desperate last thing that we'd all have to deal with somehow.

*Maybe it would just be a desperate last thing that we'd all have to deal with somehow."

Sounds like the 1939 scenario. Why did Neville Chamberlain go to see Hitler and come back and "wave a bit of paper at us and say 'Peace in our time'?"--because his generation had known the first WW and he didn't want to do it all again if he could help it, but Hitler wasn't the sort of darling you'd really want in charge of all of Europe and half of Africa...............................

The elderly and chronically sick shielded for at least 9 months so that everyone else could go about their business.

@Ted27 - of course not. But the poster had said they doubted the WW1 & WW2 conscripts wanted to join up. I was just saying they did at the time. They had no way of knowing what it was really like - most thought it would be a big adventure. Unfortunately, as we know now, it was anything but.

Only if I could press the button that launches the missiles!

The government would award all the conscription contracts to all their mates, so the Russians would be marching up Whitehall before the notices went out (and privatised Royal Mail would take a fortnight to deliver them anyway)

Did some Quakers work on the battlefields, collecting up the wounded and so on, but not directly fighting?

[quote iklboo]@Ted27 - of course not. But the poster had said they doubted the WW1 & WW2 conscripts wanted to join up. I was just saying they did at the time. They had no way of knowing what it was really like - most thought it would be a big adventure. Unfortunately, as we know now, it was anything but. [/quote]
If someone really wants to join up, the can volunteer before they’re conscripted. To actually have to be conscripted shows a certain reticence to do so.

@Babdoc

Hmm. So you would have preferred Britain to lose WW2? Assuming you were against conscription for all the Allied forces. It’s an easy moral stance during peacetime, but rather different for a government facing the invasion of its country and the mass murder of its citizens, if it doesn’t rapidly conscript sufficient troops for defence purposes.

Over time, would it have mattered? Look at the USSR, they took over much of eastern europe after 1945, killed millions, yet now, these countries are flourishing and the Soviets are distance memory. Tough for those who died and lived under the Soviets but they don't all speak Russian... which is odd because apparently we would now all be speaking German had we lost.

Chances are, the Germany empire would have folded by now and who knows what would have happened?

Its easy to view world events through a very narrow telescope of our own perspective.

Thankfully think me and my brood would be medically exempt (possibly the only time it would be a good thing), but if not I don't know what I'd do. Obviously would volunteer if DC could stay at home but don't think it works like that. DH would love it though.

@Octavia174 It might have mattered to the Jewish posters on here. Who wouldn't be here if Hitler had won and/or invaded Britain.

@Mysterian

I think a war should be voted on, and only those who voted for it should have to fight.

So you’d be happy for Germany and it’s allied to have won, and all Jews, Gypsies, disabled, SN, all systematically killed after their war victory.

Because you and millions or others wouldn’t have been prepared to fight for their freedom.

You are pathetic.

Oh just seen PP mention being nurses/hospital based, I'd definitely do that!

@Mysterian

I think a war should be voted on, and only those who voted for it should have to fight.

This.

I have no desire to die for my country (or even to do military or jury service). My only obligation as a citizen is to pay my taxes and not break (reasonable) laws.

It's usually male politicians who cause wars. So they can sort them out.

@DismantledKing

The government would award all the conscription contracts to all their mates, so the Russians would be marching up Whitehall before the notices went out (and privatised Royal Mail would take a fortnight to deliver them anyway)

Over time, would it have mattered?
Look at the USSR, they took over much of eastern europe after 1945, killed millions, yet now, these countries are flourishing and the Soviets are distance memory.
Tough for those who died and lived under the Soviets but they don't all speak Russian... which is odd because apparently we would now all be speaking German had we lost.

Chances are, the Germany empire would have folded by now and who knows what would have happened?

Are you kidding?! It would certainly have mattered to the Jews of Europe, who would have all been murdered. And everyone else that the Nazi’s had set out to kill.

It depends on the war really.
If we we're invaded, and they were desperate enough I'd attempt to fight.
For some insane war over dubious reasons, I'd rather go to prison.

Yes I would.

Though at my age and general lack of fitness I suspect my service would be more on the home front. I would happily dig for victory.

@visitingagain

I hope that's a joke *@stairway*

I doubt it, unfortunately.

@iklboo

Ironically I noticed that the elderly weren't too happy about sacrificing themselves and putting their lives at risk in the national interest during the pandemic so that we could maintain our way of life. So bollocks to them if they think I'll do it to protect them!

And the rest of the population? Children? People with disabilities?

Gotta love MN ageism.

Yes, exactly.

@DismantledKing

Over time, would it have mattered? Look at the USSR, they took over much of eastern europe after 1945, killed millions, yet now, these countries are flourishing and the Soviets are distance memory. Tough for those who died and lived under the Soviets but they don't all speak Russian... which is odd because apparently we would now all be speaking German had we lost.

Chances are, the Germany empire would have folded by now and who knows what would have happened?

Are you kidding?! It would certainly have mattered to the Jews of Europe, who would have all been murdered. And everyone else that the Nazi’s had set out to kill.

Do you care how many the Romans killed? no.

It’s very different from mandatory vaccines.

With a war you are actively sending people into mortal danger.

With the vaccine all of the science tells us it saves lives and reduces risk for everyone.

I don’t believe in mandatory vaccines either tbh but conscription to fight is a very very different thing.