Military conscription

[Donotpanicoknowpanic]

There is lots of talk about if ww3 happens then military conscription will happen

This is basically people who sit in an office safely saying we need to either send ourselves or out children to fight and die in horrible conditions

Am I unreasonable to think that anyone who thinks this is a good idea

They should be the first ones to sign up and to lead by example

Any politicians who think this is a good idea, there children should be the first to go

Russia is literally sending troops in wheel chairs and crunches to the front line

So age, disability and gender will not be a problem for anyone who supports any conscription policy's, they can go first

Also the UK will not be invaded, we are not Ukrainian, If we were more like Ukraine I would be more in favour of this as the country itself is under threat

@Elbowpatch

I don't think Ukraine's history with Russia is comparable to life in the UK?

While I support the idea that politicians - having failed to convince people to volunteer to fight - should put their ideals where they are putting other people's lives, but I wouldn't include their families/children in this. Plenty of people disagree with their family members, and I wouldn't trust this with how some politicians treat their family members...

If we end up having to face Russia and the government brings conscription back in, a large part of that will be because Russia is already using conscripts.

So without conscription in WW2 you'd be typing this in German. All Jewish people in Europe would have been killed, ditto gay people, gypsies, disabled people.... just let that sink in for a mo.

Without conscripts, there wouldn't have been a WW2 - over 95% of German forces were conscripted. Nazi Germany made military service mandatory and expanded that criteria as they churned through people. German use of conscripts is what made the war and the vast majority of those deaths possible.

There also wouldn't have been a WW1 either without conscripts, which means the conditions that lead to WW2 wouldn't have happened either

So no, we wouldn't be typing in German and far far fewer people would have died if governments couldn't force people to kill for them during either World War and had to actually persuade people that course of action was worthwhile.

Sometimes governments put forced labour into their military because of a grab for power, because of ideology, and sometimes because others are already using forced labour against us. We can recognise the latter is a horrible position to be in without ignoring why that position comes about.

I’d just tell them I’m a bit loopy and seeing things. I’ll serve days at most in the cuckoo’s nest before the mushroom clouds clear it all up

Yes that and also because he wanted a warm water port. Not everything is quite as it seems - there are geo political elements at play with him as well .

I hope your son is always safe and well

An example of what I strongly disagree with

Would be the Vietnam draft

America was never under attack

They basically forced Americans to fight and die

So America could increase it's world power

If anything is wrong in the world, that would be a prime example

Ww1 and ww2 were different as the UK itself was under threat and being attacked by the enemy

Unless the enemy was at the gates I would never agree with any draft

I wouldn’t want to, I don’t see myself being much use, I’m a middle aged unfit woman and a pacifist. But if in some
hellscape reality I had to do it then I guess I would have to go. Putin is mass kidnapping children. Trump has gangs of masked thugs roaming the country, is openly talking about cancelling elections and surrounds himself with people with disturbing ideas such as disenfranchisement of women. I hope WW3 isn’t happening ever or not in any of our lifetimes but I guess if that’s wrong and the only choices are surrender to that or conscription alongside allies with a hope of winning, I do think this country is worth fighting for.

Then send the old and infirm

They can set a drone off as well as anyone else

We can keep the young who have not had a life yet to rebuild the country

(Also it was mainly the old who voted for Brexit, this could be there reward 👀)

But if you did have the go

How would you feel about Mrs Smith a few doors down who was all in support of conscription

From the safety off her armchair

Whilst you got the fun job off loosing a limb

Would you not want Mrs Smith to go first and lead by example

Another great example of shame would be women who gave men of fighting age white feathers as a sign of being a coward

However the women who gave the feathers never thought they should go to war themselves

Surly that makes them the greatest of cowards

It was destroyed by the Tories. They decimated all that was good: the NHS, education and social services.
Labour are trying to fix it but the Tories did so much damage it will take a long time to reverse.

Yes I don’t understand why young people who haven’t had the chance to live their lives protect the people who will be dead in a couple of years anyway. They need to be the ones left

I don’t disagree with you on the Tories bit, which is why I said government to not mean just the current one. However, I do disagree with you on the point that they are trying to fix things. What have they tried to fix, exactly? They are doing the opposite of growing the economy, still spending wildly, have done nothing for education, want to remove trial by jury for many cases etc etc. All they do is meddle and create more laws. The previous 14 years were no better though, so little achieved and so much spent, I despair.

Can you link to proof that is what he meant? I saw him bring interviewed and don't recall him mentioning Farage.

Of course it won't be easy! No one wants war! The idea of my precious child being conscripted makes me feel physically sick. I'd rather take their place, but I doubt they need an unfit middle aged person. But just like our grandparents/great grandparents, if we need to step up to protect our country I know we will.

I absolutely hate the idea of it. We have a young son and I’m terrified that one day he will be called up. War is brutal and I just wish it didn’t happen

I strongly suspect that those conscripted now might not be as docile and compliant as those in the same situation in the last 2 world wars.
Young people are more politically aware and will baulk at giving their lives to causes that have been decided by the chaps behind the desks whose views they might disagree with and who are complicit in creating the war scenario in the first place.
I think any UK government who mooted conscription would be very aware of the possibility of a mass revolt.
In any event 21st century warfare is a whole new ballgame technologically and uneducated non-specialist troops would be of limited value. The cannon fodder of the 1st WW is not what is needed.

They absolutely should be sending unfit middle aged people and older and hope they do if there is a choice. Young people are the future.

The UK was never at risk of an invasion in WW1.

We now know that in WW2 there was also no risk of invasion. However they didn't know that at the time.

History: It helps.

As a derail, until you reverse Brexit, any attempts at fixing the economy are window dressing at best.

It lies with us to ensure that future never happens. As it always has.

As I approach a date with the grim reaper, I can't help but feel I - and my entire generation and the generations either side - have massively fucked up. And all we have to offer to the subsequent generations is a limp "Sorry".

I completely agree with you. I don't want my my child anywhere near that, and I hope I can take their place.

Quite.
Everyone had the wool pulled over their eyes, and more recently by Tony Blair and his WMD pronouncements.

We are now in a situation where everyone has access to non stop news and we know a larger amount of what is going on. People can decide for themselves more. They are not going to walk docilely into putting themselves at risk based on central dictat.

In the last war people were huddled round radios catching infrequent bulletins. That is not how it works now. We are bombarded with up to date news and political commentary.

My guess is that there would be a mass revolt by conscriptees.

My guess is that there would be a mass revolt by conscriptees.

People are so fixated on the idea that "conscription"="military service" (which does suggest a rather worrying underlying fetish for men with guns).

It's much more likely that "conscription" will entail working in a role as directed by the government whether you like it or not. More like a Workfare draft.

Mind you, if I am wrong, and we really need strapping young men to be targets, then some folk will feel pretty silly for rejecting all the fighting age men that were trying to get to the UK.

I think any fetish for men with guns does not lie with the general population but rather with some world leaders!