UK advised to stockpile food as Russian Attack fears grow

greyfur

Oreo

The government is also preparing us mentally to not mind a lot more spending on defence.

What does that mean please?

More taxes and less benefits.

There isnt actually a serious threat for the UK the only likely aggressor is Russia and they gave their hands full with little Ukraine. If any NATO country was attacked the combined European defence forces would respond including nuclear if needed. There would be no question of defence "budget" whatever was needed would be spent, on a war footing Russia is no match for Europe.

I do remember the last Civil Defence review, the recommendations were not acted on because of the cost and further cuts have been made since, a navy without even a single operational Destroyer available is a joke. We have 2 Aircraft Carriers, one is in dock for repairs the other swans off to the US without any aircraft on a good will visit. We gave Ukraine Challenger Tanks but we can't supply ammunition for them

A lot of us keep a good stock of basics in already and it shouldn't take too much extra to feel ready for anything!
I think it maybe the younger 'city types' buying coffee & brunch at work, then out to dinner or 'takeawaying' who find have nothing but olives and gin

David49

greyfur

Oreo

The government is also preparing us mentally to not mind a lot more spending on defence.

What does that mean please?

More taxes and less benefits.

Yes

To be honest if anything scary big happened in a cyber attack I’d lose my appetite anyway. Always happens when I’m anxious about anything.

David49

There isnt actually a serious threat for the UK the only likely aggressor is Russia and they gave their hands full with little Ukraine. If any NATO country was attacked the combined European defence forces would respond including nuclear if needed. There would be no question of defence "budget" whatever was needed would be spent, on a war footing Russia is no match for Europe.

I do remember the last Civil Defence review, the recommendations were not acted on because of the cost and further cuts have been made since, a navy without even a single operational Destroyer available is a joke. We have 2 Aircraft Carriers, one is in dock for repairs the other swans off to the US without any aircraft on a good will visit. We gave Ukraine Challenger Tanks but we can't supply ammunition for them

You’ve missed the point David49, because the greatest risk is not of open warfare. It’s far more likely that infrastructure will be targeted, underwater cables cut, water supplies polluted, drone attacks on power stations, etc. etc.

Emergencies are not just military. Extreme weather conditions are now seeing more and more people being cut off from electricity for days and with roads flooded and trains after big storms and flooding, Cyber attacks do not have to be caused by a foreign power. There are all sorts of criminal groups, extreme political groups and, people, who I can best describe as anarchists - people prepared to disrupt other people's lives for the 'fun' of it.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

To be honest if anything scary big happened in a cyber attack I’d lose my appetite anyway. Always happens when I’m anxious about anything.

Exactly this, and I would probably need some extra toilet rolls 😁

Yes, the guidance is for all eventualities. I don’t see anything amiss with reinforcing what should just be sensible steps to protect ourselves.

"You’ve missed the point David49, because the greatest risk is not of open warfare. It’s far more likely that infrastructure will be targeted, underwater cables cut, water supplies polluted, drone attacks on power stations, etc. etc."

I didn't miss the point, the most likely attack is north sea gas pipelines there isn't a lot most of us could do beyond an alternative form of heating and cooking.

Just a couple of days ago our main phone system went down across our state. Trains were cancelled, emergency services didn’t respond , people died and it was chaos. That was just one thing. These days attacks come in different forms - and they still haven’t explained what exactly happened. They wouldn’t tell us if it was some sort of enemy attack, Im sure of that !

Mamardoit

I think that might be a project for DH. We still have the old pressure cooker in the garage. He could distill the water. All he needs is some of that rubber tubing. I'm sure he could source that on the internet.

Well, he sounds inventive. But your pressure cooker and tubber-tubing won't cut it. You need sophisticated filtration systems to eradicate the pollutants, chemicals, microplastics and 'forever' chemicals!

You will be safer using bottled water. There's a time and a place for them!

Use the pressure-cooker to make stews etc - and I'm sure your DH can think of a use for the rubber-tubing, if he buys it!

I think it’s most likely to be a cyber attack, but who knows, really as surprise is part of it. Yes, the means of at least boiling a kettle is important, as is having some tinned and packet food that doesn’t need to be cooked to be edible,

I've read Jo Callaghan's Body of Lies recently (awesome crime series with an AI detective) in which a cyber attack takes down the National Grid. It was eye-opening as I had no idea how everything relies on connectivity nowadays. E.g. water treatment plants can't operate without electricity so the water supply would stop very quickly after a power outage. I think it may have been simpler to find workarounds during WW2. In today's world when everything is digital, without electricity/Internet everything would halt. Food wouldn't reach the shops, traffic chaos etc. It's scary.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

This is straight out of the Soviet political guidebook. "Keep your citizens in a state of alarm to keep them in a state of compliance".

FGT (Hi!)

I understand your thought, but believe in this instance it's really not applicable. This is normal 'home-front' preparedness and awareness. Civil Defence and all that. Something we've not really had to think about much in the, what - last 25/30 odd years? Apart from Covid - but to some extent, there were contingency plans for that also... not specifically Covid, but a 'virus' outbreak. How it was handled is a different matter - but there were home-front plans in place anyway.

To be honest if anything scary big happened in a cyber attack I’d lose my appetite anyway. Always happens when I’m anxious about anything.

Me, too. Nothing kills the appetite and triggers the gag-reflex like anxiety. I had a dose of that in my mid 30s - lost SO much weight I had to wear some of my son's shorts and t-shirts... and he was only 7.

I’d be more concerned over an attack on infrastructure such as our power supply.

Have you thought how you’d cope if the country lost electricity.

This is a serious threat to our country.

Padstow13

GrannyGravy13

That will make the preppers and survivalists happy

It will also push folks into panic buying who cannot afford to do so.

I think it is rather irresponsible to be honest.

But it'll make the manufacturers and retailers happy, even if it means the rank and file customer will wind up skint with cupboards and garages with enough baked beans to last several lifetimes.

And still not a single Russian stormtrooper in sight........

I think I am in this camp.
Rightly, or maybe very wrongly.

I feel like I have been "prepared" for at least 6 years.

Didn’t we have one of these warnings in the past. Did we received a booklet???

In m ost of Scandinavia we were told three years ago to make sure we had food and bottled drinking water in sufficient quantities to feed our family for at least a week, and to regularly use the tinned foods and bottled water so it did not when needed prove to be out of date!

Not to rely on what was in the freezer, as power cuts could render frozen food inedible. To have a supply of candles, torch batteries f or emergency lighting, and at least one radio that could run on batteries, plus spare batteries for it.

And enough cash to see us through at least a week to ten days, as well as a fully stocked first aid kit.

So if you are only being warned now, I am surprised.

The UK is a member, and last time I looked the UK is in Europe!

I don't think there should be scare-mongoring and hate panic buying. However, I think we should have at least a week's worth of food/water etc in stock. Ie an extra packet of dried pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, beans, tuna - anything with which you can put some meals together. Not necessarily for an imminent war; but I'm fearful of either myself or OH becoming ill and not being able to get to the shops . If the worst happens I know we could cope - might not be very exciting the meals, but we wouldn't starve.

So naive,

Dickens

Mamardoit

I think that might be a project for DH. We still have the old pressure cooker in the garage. He could distill the water. All he needs is some of that rubber tubing. I'm sure he could source that on the internet.

Well, he sounds inventive. But your pressure cooker and tubber-tubing won't cut it. You need sophisticated filtration systems to eradicate the pollutants, chemicals, microplastics and 'forever' chemicals!

You will be safer using bottled water. There's a time and a place for them!

Use the pressure-cooker to make stews etc - and I'm sure your DH can think of a use for the rubber-tubing, if he buys it!

I'll stick with the boiled rain water then. Maybe get some long life milk in too.

If there is a major emergency we might blame the government for not telling us in advance to prepare (if we had time even to think about blaming them) It is hard to imagine such an emergency - but no doubt in the late 1930's people struggled to imagine a world war. Of course i am not predicting a world war - just saying it is hard to imagine a sudden and very different world as we live our day to day lives.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

To be honest if anything scary big happened in a cyber attack I’d lose my appetite anyway. Always happens when I’m anxious about anything.

You’d still need water, lightening, heating.

Almost everything these days relies on computers.