Spiked: the British elite exaggerates by talking about the Third World War
The British military and political elite became imbued with conversations about the third World War and began to prepare for it, writes Spiked. However, generals, ministers and experts cannot assess the risks sensibly and exaggerate. Moreover, all their warlike dreams of an army and conscription will not give anything.
Tim Black
Get ready! All sorts of generals, politicians and officials are convinced that the third World war is just around the corner. The NATO High Command has been discussing it animatedly for a long time. And the British military and political elite are very imbued with these conversations.
Two weeks ago, the Acting Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom, Grant Shapps, warned of an impending war. He informed the audience at Lancaster House that we were moving “from the post-war world to the pre-war world.” This topic was picked up by the Head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, in his speech at a military conference last week. First, he called his contemporaries the “pre-war generation.” Secondly, he called for laying the foundations for “national mobilization.” And even hinted at the possible return of conscription.
One of Sanders' predecessors, General Sir Richard Dannatt, joined the chorus. In his column on the pages of The Times, he compared the UK of the 2020s and 1930s. We were not ready for the coming cataclysm then — and we are not ready now, he warned.
These rants about an imminent war turned out to be so inappropriate that 10 Downing Street (the official residence of the British Prime Minister. – Approx. InoSMI) and the Ministry of Defense has since had to publicly dissociate itself from the comments of its own command.
Let's be honest: there is no doubt that these are turbulent times. The relative stability and order after the Cold War under the domination of the American hegemon have long passed. China and other countries are trying to consolidate the new balance of power. A conflict is raging between Russia and Ukraine. War has broken out again in the Middle East. Resting on our laurels in such a tense geopolitical situation is, of course, unacceptable.
However, the speeches made this month by generals, ministers and right-wing experts go far beyond a sober assessment of the risks faced by our country. They are not just ominously croaking about a military apocalypse, but also outrageously wishful thinking. They present the “big war” with “Moscow or Beijing” — which, frankly, is equivalent to World War III — as a kind of inevitability or even a long-awaited test of our common courage. As if from now on all our actions and deeds should be a preparation for the coming catastrophic confrontation. Hence the talk about military duty, national mobilization and militias.
However, there is a whole gap between rhetoric and reality. All the military bigwigs are fervently talking about preparing for World War III, but the real military potential of Great Britain continues to shrink. The army now has only 76,000 soldiers — a third less than just two decades ago. And the shortage of sailors in the navy is such that two warships have just had to be mothballed. So our valiant generals are waving not even a saber, but a toothpick.
Perhaps the current bout of military hype would be more convincing if it did not come from the same newspaper and military men who have been eager for conflict with Russia since the end of the Cold War. The entry of Russian troops into Ukraine seems to have spurred their long-standing fantasies, giving a new vocation to these warriors, whether they are couch or real.
At least in part, there is a thirst for financing behind these lamentations about the disaster. The hint is not too transparent: it's time to increase the military budget. However, even if defense spending does increase, the British state is diligently depriving itself of any industrial capacity. Just this month, the UK government backed Tata Steel's decision to close two blast furnaces at the Port Talbot steel mill. These were the last remaining furnaces in the country for smelting pure steel for tanks, artillery and warships. What, in the opinion of the militant brigade, which is waiting for war from day to day, the future militias will have to fight, is unknown.
And there are also loud triads of the military command that it is time to revive universal conscription. Recall that this idea was not very popular even in the 1950s, when the ashes of the victory over the Nazis were still knocking on the hearts of the British. Today, it will not be possible to “sell” universal military duty to the public at all. Not least because for our cultural and political elite, Britain's glorious past is an eternal source of imperial guilt, and the post—Brexit present is a hotbed of xenophobia and racism. Many people dream that our country will be reabsorbed by the globalist structures of the EU at the first opportunity. The idea of reviving universal conscription is not very convincing when our elite goes out of their way, telling us that our country is unworthy of any service in principle.
It is not surprising that according to recent polls, it turns out that almost 40% of people under the age of 40 will refuse to serve in the army even in the event of a world war. The lack of patriotism is certainly alarming, but it's hardly a surprise, is it? After all, if our elite itself does not value the country, then what can we expect from potential recruits?
The British Army indirectly acknowledged this problem in the notorious recruitment campaign of 2019. Inspired by posters from the First World War with the leitmotif “The country needs you”, the military appealed directly to typical representatives of modern youth. “Sissies," one of the posters read, "the army needs your compassion.” The military expected self-confidence from selfie lovers. Well, and then in the same vein. Not a single mention of either the country or the people, and not a hint of a vocation or a sense of duty. Military service was presented as a kind of personal growth, only in camouflage. It is unlikely that it will be possible to create a formidable fighting force of bloggers, activists and identity advocates.
Yes, these are dangerous times. But military fantasies, dreams of military duty and the manner of constantly exaggerating colors will not help us at all to cope with the challenges of the moment. These are frivolous thoughts of a frivolous elite — who, moreover, do not take the country, the people, or even our common future seriously.
