Page 7 | UK would be a pushover if Putin invaded

Squamata · 04/03/2023 21:55

Ukraine was massively divided before the invasion, it's had a complex history and some people identified more with Russia and others with Western Europe. But if an army invades, those divisions get put to one side because you want to defend your home.

The pandemic showed how people in the UK pull together and help each other in times of hardship. The generations that went through the war etc were no better and no worse than current generations, they were just tested more.

Views derided as being 'woke' are usually grounded in a concern not to offend other people or add to the burden on oppressed groups. That kind of compassion suggests people would pull together as well.

headstone · 04/03/2023 21:57

I don’t know anyone who would be happy to sacrifice their sons like previous generations. I know I wouldn’t be.

JudgeJ · 04/03/2023 22:33

Snoopinator · 04/03/2023 10:29

AIBU to think the UK population would be too busy fretting about rude receptionists, grousing about trans issues and spying on their possible benefit-fraudster neighbours to put up any meaningful resistance to a Russian invasion? It's hard to imagine people coming together in any significant degree.

Sorry to tell you but that was the official view way back in the '80s! The estimate was that if the balloon went up it would take the Russian forces 4 days down to the coast in Belgium! Nothing will change no matter how much people worry.

BMW6 · 04/03/2023 23:13

headstone · 04/03/2023 21:57

I don’t know anyone who would be happy to sacrifice their sons like previous generations. I know I wouldn’t be.

But you don't get a veto. That's up to the sons (and daughters) isn't it.

Zuffe · 04/03/2023 23:21

JoonT · 04/03/2023 17:45

“Sees itself as holier than thou“!!? Don’t make me laugh. Have you been in a British bookshop and looked at the new releases? Pretty much every book has titles like ‘Britain’s Evil Empire’, ‘How Britain was Built on Slavery’, ‘Churchill’s Dark Shadow’ and on and on. I doubt there is a country in the world filled with more people who hate their own identity. Self-loathing is one of the few things we are good at.

I hate to break it to you, but the history of the world IS the history of war and empire and invasion. Ever heard of the Mughals? Or the Aztecs, or the Incas, or the Zulus, or the Ottomons, or the Arabic Caliphate, or the Mongols, or the Vikings, or the Barbary pirates...(tell me when you want me to stop)? Everyone had empires. Everyone enslaved their neighbours. Had China or India industrialised before Europe, you can bet your life they would have colonised us instead of the other way around. Had Irish kings and landowners been more powerful than their British equivalent, you can bet they’d have found an excuse for colonising Britain. It’s what people did.

Of course the empire was full of cruelty and racism. That goes without saying. And no one should invade another country (though it’s not as simple as that, since most of the places Britain colonised weren’t countries at all). But that is to project modern standards onto seventeenth-century people. And by the way, had there been no British Empire there would be no United States, Canada or Australia as we know them. Instead, the world would now be run by Putin and China.

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Interesting point about the Barbary Pirates, who operated in the Western Med and out to the Azores. Eventually they travelled further north and into the creeks of Devon and Cornwall and eventually into the rias of south-west Ireland, pillaging and taking slaves back to Muslim fiefdoms.

There is a reason why many Irish females have black hair and it’s nothing to do with shipwrecked sailors from the Spanish Armada. There are papers and books on the subject.

Let’s not cancel them, eh?!

Annoyingwurringnoise · 04/03/2023 23:24

Have you ventured into the working class towns of this country? Everybody is on their arse and the place is like a tinder box. I bet there are a lot of demoralized disenfranchised young men who’d like nothing more than an enemy to direct their anger towards.

no, this is MN, I don’t suppose you have.

Blue565 · 04/03/2023 23:38

Is this a joke? Russia is struggling with a neighbour who has massive land borders alongside them... The UK would not struggle with Russian conventional military in any way (air superiority, better trained army, navy...)

RotundBeagle · 04/03/2023 23:43

Generally it's the army that would deal with an invasion not the general public.

RotundBeagle · 04/03/2023 23:46

Also, this is a pretty MC forum. The types of guys working on building sites and frequenting boxing gyms etc tend to be made of slightly tougher stuff than your average accountant.

Fladdermus · 04/03/2023 23:52

YABU Putin wouldn't stand a chance if he invaded. The people in Britain won't tolerate the bloke from once street over driving up and parking in their street. Like fuck are they going to allow Putin to park his tanks hanging over their drives.

Fladdermus · 04/03/2023 23:52

*the bloke from ONE street over ...

Greenshake · 04/03/2023 23:59

Fladdermus · 04/03/2023 23:52

YABU Putin wouldn't stand a chance if he invaded. The people in Britain won't tolerate the bloke from once street over driving up and parking in their street. Like fuck are they going to allow Putin to park his tanks hanging over their drives.

So true 😂😂👏👏

MasterBeth · 05/03/2023 00:04

Snoopinator · 04/03/2023 10:36

Why? When did British people last pull together or agree on anything?

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During lockdown.

Adherence to lockdown rules among the general public were much higher than anticipated. People wanted to help each other. (Number 10 excluded.)

JamBiscuitBun · 05/03/2023 00:19

Putin invade? Don't make me laugh. What with? He doesn't have an army, they all ran away. The ones left behind are demoralised, unpaid, very poorly equipped.

Greenshake · 05/03/2023 00:19

Let’s face it, if the shit hit the fan, which it won’t, we would all pull together.

cassiatwenty · 05/03/2023 00:20

YABVU

RotundBeagle · 05/03/2023 00:29

I wonder whether the government would only send the men to fight if it came to it, or if we'd all be called up.

We're much less traditional/patriarchal than a lot of Eastern bloc countries so it'd be interesting to see whether this affected it.

MrsSkylerWhite · 05/03/2023 10:32

QueenoftheNimbleFlyingCat

“What about single parent households?”

Presumably children would be evacuated as they were in WW2. Most households were effectively single parent: some kids didn’t see their fighting dads for years.

Hellsmovie · 05/03/2023 11:17

The Russian army isnt exactly winning against armed civilians in Ukraine. Imagine the trouble they would have against a real army of highly trained soldiers

dorriss · 22/05/2023 01:49

what? do you read no news? we would just be nuked end of.you cannot seriously believe he would invade.it is not 1939

MrsMikeDrop · 22/05/2023 03:34

YANBU. There is zero community spirit.

Littlelovebug · 22/05/2023 03:40

Ffs.

Littlelovebug · 22/05/2023 03:42

Blue565 · 04/03/2023 23:38

Is this a joke? Russia is struggling with a neighbour who has massive land borders alongside them... The UK would not struggle with Russian conventional military in any way (air superiority, better trained army, navy...)

So Russia would win?

moomoomoo27 · 23/02/2024 11:56

It would be more because no one could be arsed to fight. There would be lots of "not my problem, but I can't believe Tesco is out of milk, this is unacceptable."