I’m not sure the youth of today will be Russian to join a ‘citizen army’

General Sir Patrick Sanders (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

Lindy McDowell

Atten-shun! Your country needs you. General Sir Patrick Sanders, head of the British Army, has called this week for the general public to be placed on a war footing and ready to deploy in the event of Mr Putin setting his sights on further Western expansion.

The General, who has decried defence cuts, believes that, to keep Vlad in his box, the armed forces will need to be supplemented by a “citizen army”. He wants civilians to think “more like troops”. He’s talking about national mobilisation, otherwise known as conscription or national service. Needless to say, this outburst has put the cat among the pacifists.