Would you pay more tax to boost defence spending

[trainermush]

Obviously we are now in a more precarious position & defence spending has been underfunded for some time. RR had just said we need to spend more money & she will but without breaking her fiscal rules,

"So we will stick to our fiscal rules. But recognising the priority of defence spending in the world that we live in today means that we will have to make difficult choices so that we can spend that money that is needed to keep our country safe."

Mulling it over & even though I think I pay enough tax I would pay more each month towards this (cut back in other areas) as opposed to labour cutting back on something else. I guess thinking about my dc & other loved ones has changed my mind somewhat now things appear more bleak. What do others think?
Conscription of young people terrifies me even though my dc are too young.

Well, possibly it will be a country run by an aggressive kleptocratic dictator who is spending over 50% of GDP on rearming itself, has a vast nuclear arsenal, and who is invading it's neighbours, wants to reassert its power, is fiddling with our North Sea power cables, poisoning people in this country, buzzing it's planes in our airspace to see how we react and doing cyber attacks. A country that isnt very far from us.

The last invasion I heard about was the Asian Hornets. Not good news if you are a bee, and they sting humans as well...

It's a fair question

No one probably. But it's a good idea to up defence spending at this point

Well said. Exactly that!

And it is a country on the same land mass and could be supported by Iran and China if WW3 breaks out. Russia is sitting on vast natural resources - significantly larger than Ukraine's so it can always pay its way.

And the US has a population of 340m & is the richest country in the world $140/150 trillion so just because they tax non residents doesn't me we can.

mean we can.

We aren’t a family that put our heads in the sand thanks

we should learn to mind our own business. Switzerland sits in the middle of Europe, land locked and pissing nobody off.

Every child should do national service at the end of their education and we should have the defence needed to deter everyone in weapons alone but we should not be sending our kids to fight other peoples wars.

We’ve spent 30 years fucking around in the Middle East for what?

No, not a penny more in tax until all public spending has been thoroughly reviewed. There is so much waste.

Absolutely happy to pay more towards defence.

We can't rely on the USA.

We need a strong European military force.

We also needs to rejoin the EU.

I recently worked with a guy who used to be in the Army, and he follows military developments very closely. He reckons the Russian economy and war machine is a year max from complete collapse. They're conscripting North Koreans, FFS!

I served in the U.S. Army, and I also follow military developments very closely. He's right, Russia is not a short term threat. But by putting their economy on a war footing, Putin can rebuild their Army in 3-5 years and be a real threat again. And their economy will only collapse if the west increases sanctions and Ukraine keeps fighting full tilt, both of which are unlikely.

I think that's wishful thinking. Particularly now Trump seems to be turning away from NATO. Remember inter war Germany was on its knees and it was smaller and had far less resources than Russia does now. Plus China is only holding off from all out support of Russia due to the US and also historic wariness but it may.be at some point they change their mind and think they would gain more from supporting Russia attacking the West. Same as India. India aren't on our side. They aren't on Russias either obviously but that might change.

@MissConductUS so it's the long game.

Yes I would but (as we discussed on other thread) only once they’ve agreed to address our frightening welfare bill. If it carries on growing at the current rate any extra tax will be swallowed up anyway. I propose PIP/DLA are significantly reduced, a household total benefits cap of 25k is introduced, and the triple lock is reversed.

Labour aren't the government that will be able to do that. Even if they wanted to. It would be impossible for them. They are the wrong government at the wrong time.

There isn’t time for that.

3-5 years for the UK and the EU to rearm - back to the Cold War

I get the sense they'd love to use an excuse since in a hole

I don't trust it as a way out of that

To be honest it makes sense to invest more in defence for future stability and so as not to be affected as much by the whim of others. It should be done strategically though to also benefit and compliment other facets of life:

• investment in growing and developing British industry should be the primary avenue for any investment or purchases before branching out wider only if really needed.

• increase reservists but also enhance the 'offer' by offering apprentiship degrees for say nursing etc so you have both a pool of military trained people who have more of a work/life balance than regulars and whom also are then enhancing the nations pool of integral professionals (and also trades such as plumbing etc).

Etc

Rather than just heres billions to random companies that submitted the lowest bid.

And this. I know it’s ‘undemocratic’ but I just want Keir Starmer to make an executive decision to apply to rejoin the EU. Leaving it was a catastrophic mistake and we shouldn’t stick by it just for the sake of pride.

Farmers need to be supported too so that we are more self sufficient. No destroying the land by covering it with solar farms. No IHT. Decent financial support for a vital industry..I dont really want to imagine over 70 million of us on an island with food supplies cut off thanks.

Yes, we absolutely need to spend more on defence.

Fair point

And this. I know it’s ‘undemocratic’ but I just want Keir Starmer to make an executive decision to apply to rejoin the EU. Leaving it was a catastrophic mistake and we shouldn’t stick by it just for the sake of pride.

I agree but think there would be a revolt.

@Farellyo agreed