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.

And strong agree with @Thoughtsonstuff re self sufficiency.

Yes, maybe dc should be taught more survival/self sufficiency skills in school?

I disagree with having a European Army (this is nothing to do with the EU). The danger with having a single army is an increased risk for design flaws to be pervasive. Those countries that do best on aircraft design should produce the planes we need in all air forces. Those that are the best at training special forces train all elite regiments across nations. That is likely to be the strongest model operationally. By having separate armies that contribute in phases and degrees to any conflict will leave an aggressor with uncertainty around how big a tiger they will be prodding if they attack any European country.

I’m not so sure. I think it would be a huge relief to a lot of us. Particularly now all the Tory brexiteers have left parliament.

@Talonz good strategy

@BIossomtoes I would like to be wrong

But that’s what would happen anyway, given the language barrier it would be impossible to melt all the troops into regiments together?

Putin has been trying to reconstruct the Soviet Union for the last twenty years or so, and has had some successes. There's no reason for him to stop now.

When there was a suggestion of National Service at the end of the last government many people hated the idea but I wonder if opinions would now be different. I don't want my children to be defenceless (although they have done CCF and they do know how to shoot a gun so perhaps they will at least be able to look after themselves). It sounds so horrible to even think that. But perhaps we now have to.

Labour won't be able to do this though. It will be anathema to Keir.Starmer, interntiotionalist Davos man. He's the wrong man at the wrong time.

I think it would be a sensible idea but honestly I can't afford many more tax rises

He’s completely ruthless. Don’t let the grey man demeanour fool you.

The concept of a single European army has at its core each nations army taking direct orders from a European central command. In addition, central procurement with the loss of control by each sovereign state over where it spends some of its money. This is something that some states, notably the UK and France, could not accept. I am in agreement with them on that. It is still possible to have a European army with contributions from nations, just as NATO is now.

Yes I would - I have followed the Ukraine threads for the last three years and cannot believe how we have walked into this situation.

@Farellyo Not all of it but a lot.

But that’s what would happen anyway, given the language barrier it would be impossible to melt all the troops into regiments together?

NATO trains for this. The way it would work in practice is that each NATO member army would be given sectors to defend and specific offensive missions to carry out, with air and intelligence support from other nations.

Probably all the more reason to continue?

How many countries have fought a World War on different continents.

I agree he's ruthless. But he's not a leader and people will need to follow him. And the suspicion would be that we aren't all in this together. He's proven that in the last 7 months.

As a slightly irrelevant aside, I'm surprised given how ruthless he is that he hasn't booted out Rachel Reeves or Bridget Philipson yet. He's not been that loyal in the past so I am interested to see how things progress in the next six months.

Agreed,

Being a Boy Scout might come in useful....

@Thoughtsonstuff we voted all that out. Not much to be done but see what Starmer and co can do

Yes. We can no longer rely on the US to protect us.

He's the wrong man at the wrong time.

Probably but we're stuck with him

When there was a suggestion of National Service at the end of the last government many people hated the idea but I wonder if opinions would now be different.

I think the context was very much "the lazy snowflakes need to be put to work" &
people worried about conscription.

Who do you think would be better? Badenoch? Farage?

Rory Stewart

Yes perhaps they were too mealy mouthed. If the 18 year olds were told straight that they might need to actually fire a gun or organise a supply line for example one day (that might be nearer than we thought) to defend themselves and their families I think they would want to learn. Well, the ones I know would and some do already. We assume kids are too lazy or frail or uninterested but actually I think if they knew what might be at stake many would surprise us..

In some countries National Service is highly aspirational and if you get in its like getting into Oxbridge and has great kudos when applying for jobs. So it can be a great positive.