Russia is pretty much where it was in Ukraine back in 2022, give or take a few metres, accruing catastrophic losses in both equipment and personnel. Putin may well unleash a bucket of instant sunshine if he felt the motherland was about to be invaded, but we are not in danger of the red army driving tanks up the champs elysee anytime soon.
The UK already spends 2% of gdp on defence, and spends that appallingly; an additional 1% of gdp won’t fix a bungling procurement system that seems to exist purely to provide the NAO with entertainment value.
The simple truth is, the UK is fulfilling its nato obligations, at a time when others aren’t. The awkward truth is, many of those not fulfilling their obligations are those most at risk, if by some feat of magic, Vlad summoned up a capable military and pointed it West. When the EU nations are all spending 3% on defence, you’ll have my support for a 1% uplift, but even then I’ll be in a minority I think.
The nation has been battered by Covid and systemic mismanagement, and people are more worrier about paying their mortgage, rather than an army they can see bogged down in a country 1000 miles away.
The other sentiment I hear a lot is why we didn’t need conscription or increased spending when the Russians were racing across the border - yet now they are calling up potwashers and prisoners, we need to conscript a generation that isn’t going to comply? What if they identify as a non-soldier? Are women and trans getting called up? If not, the diversity mob will be out in force..,