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

You bet your ass that Parliament will legislate a carve-out to protect the uteruses, and by extension, the humans surrounding them.

Being able to make more citizens to repopulate once the dust has settled is a matter of national survival.

It's not about protecting our homes at the moment, but make no mistake there are forces working tirelessly to uphold national security and always have been. No matter what you think of Keir Starmer, Boris Johnson, the budget, etc, let's not pretend that our military power and connections aren't what prevents us from being in Ukraine's position.

millions of Chinese people will happily step up and fight

It's less "happily" and more "want to avoid themselves being shot and their family being invoiced for the cost of the bullet".

Very true. I'd forgotten about the Land Army, the Air Transport Auxiliary, etc.

They just weren't conscripted into combat roles.

Well, whether it's the effect of propaganda or otherwise the fact remains that even in the great patriotic US only 44% of men are prepared to fight for their country. The UK is even more dismal at 27%.

Meanwhile 71% of Chinese men are prepared to fight for their country. It's well known that it's an extremely patriotic country. Generally, western countries have terrible morale in comparison to non western countries. We're just not hungry for it as we've become accustomed to a relatively easy life.

If we got near to the point of complete annihilation as a population possibly

Prior to that we’ll be treated as equals. Women have been fighting in our armed forces for a long time now. It won’t change

If we are conscripting, we are sending people en masse to fight. This isn't the same as having women serving as a minority in a volunteer army.

We don't need to be near complete annihilation to be greviously harmed by losing large numbers of the child-bearing class.

Ukraine are not conscripting women into the army. They have told women to evacuate the invaded areas because they know what the Russians do to captured women.

China taking over Taiwan? It's in the pipeline and has been for years. It will happen. (Pray it doesn't).
Out of interest, are the wider global repercussions if China takes over Taiwan?

I would say trump and farage and meloni are facist. They are openly racist, far right nationalists. I must admit I’ve not followed Meloni too much since she was elected, but certainly Trump is creating a climate of fear and control. Farage is a grifter and I’m hopeful UK will not elect his party, but he is certainly the worst option. Like Trump he admires Putin.

The boats aren’t our biggest problem, they represent a tiny number of migrants. We have relatively low numbers of irregular migrants in the UK. Our problem is growing inequality and Farage will make that worse.

Oh no a genius on Mumsnet has judged me and found me wanting 🤣

Away and polish your keffiyeh eh x

I understand where you are coming from but
None of that has stopped women serving in our armed forces on the front line

Women have served in the U.K. armed forces for over 100 years (like infantry, Royal Armoured Corps) and in all direct combat roles were ground combat roles by 2018, marking a major shift from supporting roles to full integration in all frontline fighting

I can’t see the U.K. changing this irrespective of the increased dangers to women or any perceived danger that we may not be able to procreate.

^^
Due to modern equality legislation and the fact all military roles are open to women, a future conscription would likely be "gender-blind" as a point of political principle.

The last legislation, the National Service Act 1948, referred to "healthy males". However, current, broader legislation (the Civil Contingencies Act 2004) does not specify gender criteria for mass mobilisation, allowing for a modern, inclusive approach if needed.

Recent polls indicate that a majority of the UK public (72%) believes women should be conscripted alongside men if a draft were initiated.

Several other European countries, such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (from 2026), have already moved to gender-neutral or mandatory conscription systems.

I think if we get to a situation where conscription is necessary, there'll be emergency legislation that changes a lot of equality things. We can't lose a generation of childbearing women.

I’m out of the criteria (too old) but happy to provide nursing services, was also a marksman in my younger Army days so yeah, I’ll do my bit.

Everything is possible of course
but we’ve never lost a whole generation before.

We fought ( still are in fact) for equality and it seems the public support retaining that

Losing a generation of young men would also put us in a disadvantaged situation though tbf. It's a weigh up between the population decreasing and between having a shortage of fighting age men.

I'm not disagreeing but having Farage in power would still be a long way from Chinese 'democracy' or a Kim Jong/Putin. Not that you said otherwise but I think a lot of people have a skewed sense of what 'really bad' looks like.

Serving as volunteers, as a minority of the armed forces, isn't the same as calling women up by the million to fight.

Even Ukraine aren't conscripting women, despite women serving as volunteers.

The Nordic conscription is for peacetime national service. It's not comparable to conscription during a shooting war.

What the public say they want when discussing an abstract future event that may never happen won't be the same as what the public actually want when faced with a shooting war imminent or in progress. And the Govt won't do what the public want, they'll do what they think will maximise our chance of surviving as a country.

I’m sure families in world war 2 thought ‘it won’t happen’, ‘you won’t be fighting’. Look at young Ukrainians, they are fighting. In a war everything is deployed!

Sir Rich Knighton who made that speech was interviewed by Andrew Marr on LBC this afternoon.
He said he can’t see conscription happening any time in the next 10 years.
He was really good actually talking about the fact we aren’t a. Country that has a history of conscription, only been used when we have had to & only for the minimum length of time.

but one of the best chances of surviving a war
( putting tech aside )
is having a good size army and utilising the available population.
Not half of them

So we’ll simply have to agree to disagree

Not even the Russians are conscripting women. The Ukranians aren't. Think on why that is.

Very good point. Hadn’t thought of that.