Refused The Call-Up Eh?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3547229/I-not-soldier-garden-designer-One-lucky-dozen-refugees-rescued-Lesbos-pope-reveals-fled-Syria-refused-fight-Assad.html

Then perhaps all young male migrants should be conscripted by the Western authorities, trained by our forces, and then sent back to fight ISIS?

[Hypognosis]

Nah, they'd just shed their uniforms and equipment and run away, just like Saddam's troops did. Even their tank crews ran away because they knew their equipment was out of date and hopeless against allied tanks.

[trt]

Naaaa OAG, a lot of them are probably ISIS anyway!

[Hypognosis]

Every other refugee is a bloomin' engineer.

And when was the last time anyone you know handed over a wadge to a garden designer?

Then again, maybe the ones coming are way *are* the entire Syrian middle class? It cost that family €25000 Europe to get as far as Lesbos so these aren't the kimd of grunt labourpirs which Merkel is looking for. They'll be competing with our middle class for business, as soon as they're established.

[Hypognosis]

I'm sorry, I'll spray that again…

Then again, maybe the ones coming our way *are* the entire Syrian middle class? It cost that family €25000 to get as far as Lesbos so these aren't the kind of grunt labourers, which Merkel is looking for. They'll be competing with our middle class for business, as soon as they're established.

Addendum: Or not, as we are, supposedly, short of home-grown engineers. So, coming soon, to a construction site near you.

[jourdain2]

Not sure if there were 'garden designers' back in 1940 or 1914 - but there sure as heck were gardeners (read 'The Lost Gardens of Heligon' as a starter)
who had to down trowels and pick up rifles and go to war.

Sorry, mate, all young male migrants should be conscripted, trained and sent back to fight for their country, which (once regained) they should repopulate with their families.

[Hypognosis]

@jourdain2

If only it were that easy. The problem is that, even if willing to fight, the rebels aren't equipped as well as Assad. I doubt they have helicopters or other airborne assets, for example. They have to fend off ISIS action at the same time. A noble cause but not the kind of thing the typical family man can sign up to. Do rebel groups even pay a wage, for instance?

The other gamble for Syrians who decline the call up of their dictator is that they don't know how credible or trustworthy the rebel group are. Should they beat Assad, the top people in their organisation will be the government that your suggested conscripts will be living under. It would be hard to be worse than Assad (about 1/4 million corpses' worth of bad) but you never get to know hiw evil someone is until you give them state power.