Conscription fears for teen son

[Hazlenuts2016]

Anyone else with a teenage son getting more and more worried about conscription? Just saw this article and found the language scary. It's as if they want us to accept our sons and daughters dying as a sacrifice worth making! I know politicians wouldn't be talking this way because it would cost them votes, but maybe this is what is being explored. Posted this on another recent thread by the way, but then thought it would be better to start a new one.
https://news.sky.com/story/uks-sons-and-daughters-need-to-be-ready-to-fight-amid-growing-russian-threat-says-head-of-armed-forces-13483860?fbclid=IwdGRjcAOtTyBjbGNrA61PBGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHkoNStuMIR_04jEkekyh8IWQLQSQ2u3II0v-yEkA24TkmjZQF0fjeZ5art6J_aem_obDX_-el5u0dybYW31A3RQ

Yanbu, fucking terrifying

These are pre war years 😳🥺

My dd is in the navy, it’s a good career - what’s the problem?

It would absolutely be over my dead body if they brought this in.

There’s a difference between your daughter being in the navy now and your daughter being in the navy during active war time.

It wouldn’t happen quickly, legislation would need to pass.
Even then ND, asthma, mental health would rule most out. It would be a small minority.

Utterly pointless as we will lose anyway, look around you, it’s a bloody mess!

DS would be rubbish if he was conscripted. He’d go off to do something, then think of a tune he wants to try on his guitar, make a cup of tea and a sandwich, disappear into the bathroom for ages and turn up three hours later than he said he said he would because he lost track of time. And he can barely see through his floppy fringe anyway.

I could probably go in his place as I’m quite resourceful, like camping so I’m okay roughing it and have a slightly vicious streak when irked. Bit old though.

@Iheartmysmart this is very much like my DS. Not sure I could take his place though.

I am sure the mothers in Ukraine felt the same. Then their country was invaded. Do you think all they young men amd women just decided, nah cant be bothered!?!?
If and when we are attacked and risk losing our independence as a natiom, people will fight.

@blankcanvas3 they make you write your will during training, they know the risks. Navy deployments happen all the time and trust me, plenty of risk out there.

Do you think Russia is an efficient well run country? It’s so defeatist to just say we’d lose.

Id be more concerned about my own abilities to survive a complete shut down of tech - cos that's where the real threat is

I agree. What if our bank/credit cards don't work anymore, or the internet cos all systems are down....?

We've just had a letter here - not UK or British Isles - about getting a survival package together......

I can do all that, got the torch, blankets and all, but bottles of water....?

I fill them up anyway every day cos we have delicious water out of the tap here.

I'm going to spend time this Christmas meditating for world peace.

@Namechangedasouting987but some young people would be totally unsuited to fighting and may just become cannon fodder. It's not just 'can't be arsed'.

It really worries me. More the fact we could be invaded as we seem totally ill prepared. People would fight and I think our younger generation would surprise us

Best to meditate for world peace.

How does that work, exactly?

We are not ready for war. A war we are already fighting. Russia is busy recruiting criminals for hire for a shadow war of disruption. Our navy is busy intercepting Russian warships getting a little too close in the North Sea. The Russians are mapping critical cables that our whole civil society functions on.

We need to get a bit more prepared here. Whilst hand to hand fighting may seem very remote, the chances of a serious cyber breach are very very real. How would you cope if you could not access your banking apps or cashpoints? If the water got shut off because of a cyber attack on the water companies?

I have teenagers. If a threat landed on our beaches, I would rather they were able to resist aggressors than not. I count myself in too, even if I am getting on a bit. I don't care which government is in power, I will fight for my country if I have to. I just hope it never comes to that and the Defence and Intelligence Chiefs are just playing forbidding mood music.

Patriotism in this country is extremely unpopular and our history is presented and taught at schools as something to be rather embarrassed about.
Who will fight? An army of Tik-Tok lovers with ADHD, ASD and anxiety, spending days and nights whining and glued to their screens?
The youth here is so indifferent that it's rather scary, while all kids east of Germany are now learning how to assemble a rifle at school, aged 14 (but they all know they are next in queue after Ukraine).
I still remember Civil Defence lessons about organising an effective resistance during an occupation. And the weight of a cadet rifle in my hands during our shooting training at the end of the secondary school.
A lot has to change in this country to even start dreaming about us having any chance in hand-to-hand combat, if our land here is invaded.
Because from the many reactions even on this thread, many youngsters wouldn't really be bothered if we were to wake up ruled by some foreign power, as long as those silly videos keep scrolling...
And the saddest part is that our politicians will wake up when it's too late, because all those changes at school would need to start like... now.

Im not sacrificing my son for any government., of any political col. Let them send their own children first, right to the front line as a private soldier. They won’t, though.

Yes, it’s coming. Good luck, all.

Maybe those who like to dress up as knights and wave flags will be first in line to volunteer

My dd is in the navy, it’s a good career - what’s the problem?

I think you’ve answered your own question.
The problem is the risks involved. Your DD chose to accept them in return for what you describe as a good career.
A conscript would not have that choice.

I don’t understand the people commenting that a war would be mostly tech based now.
Anyone watched 20 days in Mariupol?
It certainly isn’t playing out this way in Ukraine.

I would not want my sons heading to Europe to fight in some dead end war. If war comes to our shores then fair enough have conscription but if it’s this ‘attack or be attacked’ nonsense I am not up for it. I don’t think there is the public sentiment for conscription right now.

If the UK is invaded, it's irrelevant which government happens to be in power at the time.

The idea is to fend off the threat BEFORE it reaches our shores. That was the point of NATO: America fights in Europe so it does not have to fight at home.

@YoureNotGoingOutLikeThat ironically, my DS would probably be pretty good in a cyber war (he codes as a hobby). He would crumble in face to face combat.