The notion the United Kingdom government, its people, or way of life are something worth fighting for appears to be in decline, with a survey finding that less than half of the nation would be willing to fight and defend their country for any reason.
According to a poll from Ipsos released to coincide with Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which marks the formal surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied nations in 1945, some 48 per cent of Britons would not fight for their country “under any circumstances.”
Conversely, a paltry 35 per cent said that they would be willing to put their lives on the line to protect the UK, while 17 per cent said that they were unsure, the Mail on Sunday reported.
Unsurprisingly, there was a stark distinction among the sexes, with 49 per cent of men saying they would take up arms, compared to 21 per cent of women who said the same.
There was also a difference among political affiliations, with supporters of the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats being the least likely to be willing to defend the nation. Conversely, supporters of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party were found to be the cohort most willing to sacrifice their lives for Britain.
Age also played a factor, according to the survey. People aged between 18 and 34 were the most likely to sign up to fight at 42 per cent, while just 28 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds said the same.
Commenting on the decline in patriotism among Britons, retired British Army officer and veteran of the Afghan and Iraq wars, Richard Gill said: “The fact that so many would refuse to fight for Britain is a symptom of a deeper national malaise. We’ve stopped teaching pride in our country, its history, and its values.”
“A nation unsure of itself cannot expect its people to defend it. That must change,” Gill added.
The British Armed Forces have come under heavy criticism in recent years for embracing woke ideology at the apparent expense of recruitment.
In 2023, it emerged that in a bid to increase participation from black, Asian, and other ethnic minority groups, Royal Air Force staff were told to stop recruiting “useless white male pilots,” despite Britain being an overwhelmingly white country.
Meanwhile, the number of active soldiers in the British Army has fallen to its lowest level since the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800s.
Yet, patriotism in Britain does appear to still be slightly stronger than that of Germany, with a survey last year finding that six in ten would not take up arms to protect their country, compared to just 38 per cent who said they would.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here