The Wargame podcast

[Scuzi]

I'm currently on the fourth episode of this podcast and was wondering if anyone here has listened.

The Wargame podcast: Fictional British government faces a terrifying choice in final episode

Former senior politicians, including Sir Ben Wallace, Jack Straw and Amber Rudd, play a fictional British government pitched against an imagined Kremlin.

news.sky.com

Former senior politicians, including Sir Ben Wallace, Jack Straw and Amber Rudd, play a fictional British government pitched against an imagined Kremlin.

Under yet another attack from Russia, a fictional British government of former ministers and military chiefs face a terrifying choice in the final episode of The Wargame.

The home secretary, played by Amber Rudd, asks a key question. "We have the nuclear deterrent. In what circumstances would we use it prime minister?"

The Russian team has unleashed waves of missile strikes and is demanding the UK agrees to an unconditional ceasefire.

London remains defiant, but with only limited conventional fighting power and with its NATO allies still not fully committed to rallying to help, the UK's options are dangerously limited.

The dilemma exposes the particular peril for a nuclear-armed nation, such as Britain, that has allowed its conventional fighting power to shrink too far.

It means, in a crisis, the UK no longer has the ability to sustain a fight conventionally, so escalating to nuclear war would have to happen far more rapidly - or else admit defeat.

My initial thoughts are that it isn't really a credible scenario despite being somewhat dressed up as one. The narration seems to be pitched for pre-teens - it's a bit reductive and lowbrow.

Nevertheless, it's a suitably qualified panel who's thought processes and commentary are really interesting.

What say you?

 

[Efour]

I've not listened, but i will, but, again, aren't things like this designed to normalise us all into accepting a war on this scale?

That little nuclear escalation synopsis is probably extremely accurate and that's insane.

At what point can citizens of say the UK say no to the government doing a first strike? Realistically I don't know what would happen if Russia beat us in a straight up war, but wouldn't life carry on as normal after ten years of complete upheaval to the current generation, the next will grow up, educated differently, and that would be normality.
I do not advocate this at all. It's not something I've thought about for 30 years..... Tbh. Young Marxist socialist efour would say workers are always oppressed anyway so it doesn't matter really what regime is in charge.
There would always be a revolution in the future.

It's a disturbing thing to think about but morbidly fascinating.
I have no doubt I'd probably be executed/put in a gulag in the first few weeks so I'd hope to go out fighting in a non nuclear annihilation way.

Yeah .... I'll start listening to this tonight I think.

Thx for bringing it to my attention.
Nothing like a depressing topic to get me into a great weekend mood.


Edit.

Just to say it plainly. I mean given a scenario where we and someone both have our fingers on red buttons, if they fired first, would you really (MAD) follow through personally if you had that sole power to decide? What's the point, the threat is gone , they didn't respect or appreciate the threat, isn't returning fire just revenge, isn't it actually better humanity lives on in some way?

Sorry to hijack this I guess ^⁠_⁠^

 

[Epburpee]

Thanks, I will listen to it.

 

[Scuzi]

I've not listened, but i will, but, again, aren't things like this designed to normalise us all into accepting a war on this scale?

That little nuclear escalation synopsis is probably extremely accurate and that's insane.

At what point can citizens of say the UK say no to the government doing a first strike? Realistically I don't know what would happen if Russia beat us in a straight up war, but wouldn't life carry on as normal after ten years of complete upheaval to the current generation, the next will grow up, educated differently, and that would be normality.
I do not advocate this at all. It's not something I've thought about for 30 years..... Tbh. Young Marxist socialist efour would say workers are always oppressed anyway so it doesn't matter really what regime is in charge.
There would always be a revolution in the future.

It's a disturbing thing to think about but morbidly fascinating.
I have no doubt I'd probably be executed/put in a gulag in the first few weeks so I'd hope to go out fighting in a non nuclear annihilation way.

Yeah .... I'll start listening to this tonight I think.

Thx for bringing it to my attention.
Nothing like a depressing topic to get me into a great weekend mood.


Edit.

Just to say it plainly. I mean given a scenario where we and someone both have our fingers on red buttons, if they fired first, would you really (MAD) follow through personally if you had that sole power to decide? What's the point, the threat is gone , they didn't respect or appreciate the threat, isn't returning fire just revenge, isn't it actually better humanity lives on in some way?

Sorry to hijack this I guess ^⁠_⁠^

It is clear the agenda of this particular production is to push the point that the UK armed forces are unlikely to be able to respond commensurately to a direct attack. They went with the worst case scenario for dramatic effect. I would enjoy it if it continued as a series acting out different scenarios, particularly the more credible ones. Although I think that is unlikely given it is a Sky News production.

 

[RedMogg]

My Dad (ex-forces) has had a "Bunker Box" of survival necessities in their cellar since he came back from the first gulf war.
I wouldn't call him a "prepper" (he's not paranoid or into conspiracy theories), but knows if the air raid sirens/EAS gets activated, there's not going to be enough time to pop to Costco and fill a trolley with loo roll...

...this should send him right over the edge, so I've forwarded it to him with glee.