A message to those beating the drums of war

In London on Saturday 22 February, protesters marched to the Russian embassy to express their support for Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia. This is one of the many reports about the protest in the media: Protesters say ‘don’t betray Ukraine’ as thousands march on Russian embassy - itvX | 22.2.25. This protest is just one aspect of a general ramping up of an effort to get the population of the UK to accept that a war with Russia is ‘inevitable’ and that the country needs to start preparing for that now, regardless of the sacrifices that will entail.

One of the sacrifices will be more austerity on top of what’s already being put in place. To find the money needed for more armaments, and when push comes to shove, more military personnel, it’s been suggested that Whitehall departments find ways of cutting their real term budgets by as much as 11 percent by 2029: Britain braced for more cuts to boost defence as Starmer holds Ukraine talks - Hugo Gye Arj Singh | The I Paper | 17.2.25.

Another sacrifice is the spectre of conscription. It’s been suggested that even for a ‘peace keeping’ mission in Ukriane, the UK has insufficient military personnel to meet the obligation it would take on without seriously stretching itself on other commitments. The threat of an ‘inevitable’ conflict with Russia is being used as the justification to ramp up the pressure to reintroduce conscription: UK must prepare for war and to bring back conscription, warns ex-Nato commander - Joe Duggan | The I Paper | 20.2.25.

There are the usual useful idiots banging the drums of war, pushing the UK towards the inevitability of conscription. That’s not just the thousands who marched to the Russian embassy in London. It also includes so called ‘leftist’ commentators such as Paul Mason who has been very vocal in pushing for a tough stance against Russia, regardless of the consequences that may well lead to World War Three. This is just one of the many diatribes this utter class traitor has penned over the last three years: To Avoid Another Munich, Europe Must Act to Secure Ukraine - Paul Mason | Medium | 3.11.24.

The Labour government know that they’re facing pressure to increase spending on defence and also, to boost the number of military personnel at their disposal by raising the possibility of conscription. The useful idiots such as Paul Mason and his ilk, along with the thousands who marched to the Russian Embassy in London must be at least dimly aware that they are playing a part in the ramping up of the pressure to reintroduce conscription. Here’s where things get interesting – the vast majority of those marching on the Russian embassy were middle class while on the other hand, the vast majority of people who face being conscripted into the services, particularly the army, will be working class.

Will a working class, white and non-white, that feels it has been getting thrown under the bus ever since the agenda of de-industrialisation set in motion in the 1980s by the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, be willing to allow themselves to be conscripted to fight a war that only has support from those who presume to rule over us, the arm chair generals in the media and middle class liberals? I’ve been monitoring a number of social media feeds and the impression I’m getting is that the working class are pretty hostile to the idea of being conscripted to fight a war they feel they have absolutely no stake in. Other commentators with their ears very close to the ground are saying the same thing: Britain’s working class will never fight Starmer’s war for Ukraine - Dr Lisa McKenzie | RT.COM | 23.2.25.

Ever since the 1980s, the experience of work for a growing number of working class people has become more and more precarious. This means they do not have the financial means to get on the property ladder – something that some of the more aspirational working class people managed to do back in the 1980s. Unless you’re absolutely desperate, access to social housing is very limited. That just leaves private rental and being at the mercy of rapacious landlords. For an ever growing number of working class people, their experience of life is that they are moving backwards to a life of permanent insecurity.

On top of all of this, the services and infrastructure we’re obliged to rely upon are stretched to the limit to the point where they’re failing. This ranges from the National Health Service through to a public transport system that is not fit for purpose. The high streets of our towns have been gutted out with empty boarded up premises an all too common sight. Alongside of this, it feels like nothing works properly and that everything is falling apart at the seams. Then there are the myriad social tensions simmering away underneath the surface which I have written about a fair few times:

Too much change, too much turmoil 6.9.24

So, what the heck was that all about? 8.8.24

Problem, reaction, solution - how it's playing out so far 6.8.24

This is what a lack of trust looks like... 31.7.24

To put it bluntly, for a working class that has been getting thrown under the bus since the 1980s, and is now feeling the full force of these social tensions plus a general sense of decay, there’s a perception that there’s f**k all left to fight for.

Should the puffed up idiots such as Starmer end up pushing us closer to a devastating war with Russia, making conscription an inevitability, that’s when things will start to get really interesting. My gut feeling is that by that point, a working class that knows it has been thrown under the bus will be actively hostile to a conscription drive that will demand massive sacrifices from them. How that will manifest itself is difficult to predict.

Suffice to say, it could well result in an anti-war movement but, it will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Inevitably, there will be some reactionary sentiments informing the resistance to conscription. All I can say is that it’s rare that any mass social movement has met the purity criteria that some would like to apply. A mass working class push against conscription will undoubtedly fail the purity tests that will be applied to it. That’s no reason to abandon it.

These are working class families fighting for the lives and futures of their young men who will be expected to go into the meat grinder of war without complaint, in order to serve the nefarious agendas of those who presume to rule over us, the armchair generals and the middle class liberal patsies who have adopted Ukraine as their cause. They deserve the backing of everyone who wants to avoid the horror of getting dragged into World War Three by puffed up, strutting idiots who have no conception of where their pathetic posturing will lead us. The push towards a potential world war has to be resisted. Political purity tests are a luxury we cannot afford, the stakes are way too high for that. The message to those relentlessly beating the drums of war is this – you will be resisted at every turn, by any means necessary.

Our modest contribution to this is starting to get anti-war stickers featuring the image at the top of this article up wherever we can. We’ve already made a start in Bristol. If anyone wants to join us in getting these stickers up, get in touch and we’ll see what transpires.