[News] Should we Bring Back National Service? Sunak says YES.

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Would you support a Form of Military Service? If so, what kind?

  • No, not in any form

    Votes: 223 54.0%
  • One month, as a voluntary, community based scheme

    Votes: 20 4.8%
  • One year, voluntary, community based scheme

    Votes: 42 10.2%
  • Voluntary military service for 12 months

    Votes: 23 5.6%
  • Compulsory community based military service for one month

    Votes: 26 6.3%
  • Compulsory military service for 12 months

    Votes: 82 19.9%
  • How old are you - 18-24

    Votes: 10 2.4%
  • 25-49

    Votes: 83 20.1%
  • 50-64

    Votes: 121 29.3%
  • 65+

    Votes: 59 14.3%

  • Total voters
    413


Zeberdi

“Vorsprung durch Technik”
NSC Patron
Oct 20, 2022
6,905
National Service ended in the 1960s but with confidence in the preparedness of our armed forces to cope with a direct NATO confrontation with Russia lower than it has been for years, some form of conscription is back on the political agenda. The British Army has shrunk by 28% in 12 years to around 103,000 soldiers but only 76,000 of those are regulars with the rest reservists.

Do we need to expand our fighting forces?

- if so where from? Voluntary recruitment has fallen but is forcing our young men and women to fight the answer or would a voluntary community based scheme provide the numbers needed?



 
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Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,526
The arse end of Hangleton
No - people should be free to do what they want with their lives not forced into service. It would also degrade our forces fighting ability using people who didn't want to be there. Do we have enough forces to defend the UK ? No. That's why we belong to NATO.
 


Littlemo

Well-known member
Aug 25, 2022
1,697
The only people that ever think it’s a good idea are the ones that are too old or too infirm to actually have to go do it themselves. It's easy to think stuff like this is a good idea when it’s other people’s lives and not yours.

Anyway, the Army is a paid job and people who really want to can even join the TA. There’s no need to force people into it.
 




Chicken Run

Member Since Jul 2003
NSC Patron
Jul 17, 2003
19,795
Valley of Hangleton
The only people that ever think it’s a good idea are the ones that have actually given service, are too old or too infirm to actually have to go do it themselves. It's easy to think stuff like this is a good idea when it’s other people’s lives and not yours.

Anyway, the Army is a paid job and people who really want to can even join the TA. There’s no need to force people into it.
Slightly amended for you 😉
 














tedebear

Legal Alien
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
17,100
In my computer
Could you imagine todays youth being forced into some sort of service. I think it would be dangerous than anything to have a workforce of disassociated youth! Little Johnny or Little Jane being asked to push the big red button "just a moment Gov, I want to capture the moment and post it on TikTok"....(just making sure the Chinese can see what we are doing)...

The better way to swell the ranks would be to pay more! Besides dictating what someone needs to do with their life is archaic, I think we're beyond that now surely? Like the flipping Republicans are in the US with abortion, "yay lets dictate what to do with someone elses body"...its quite incredible...
 


Man of Harveys

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2003
18,869
Brighton, UK
As I’ve often said, talk to people who have actually done it and any idea that it’s some magic cure-all to instill some much needed discipline etc soon fades. Unsurprisingly.

My old man did it: chatted up the birds, hung around having tremendous fun playing music and drinking beer in pubs in Germany. My German cousin did it: every photo he has of those days is him and his fellow conscripts roaring drunk, clowning around at what they referred to as the “federal drinking academy”. Maybe not quite what Daily Mail readers/Tories have in mind.
 




Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
There isn’t any infrastructure now for masses of troops. Barracks have closed, ships scrapped, and airfields gone to seed. It’s a favourite old trope of the Daily Mail, ‘all they need is a bit of discipline’.
Professional troops don’t have the resources to train civilians, and has already been pointed out, there are Reserves which are available to join.
 










Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,526
The arse end of Hangleton
That wasn’t the question - the question was do we need to expand our military forces and if so, how?

Do we bring back some form of military or national service - that can be anything from 12 month’s compulsory conscription or one month’s voluntary community scheme.
That wasn't the question you posed.

It's very simple :
If you want to be in the forces professionally - sign up
If you want to volunteer join the reserve forces
If you want to help the community then join something like the Scouts

There should be no compultion to doing any of these. We have some of the most professional and highly skilled armed forces in the world - it's the equipment that lets.them down. It's all about quality not quanity - see Russia for an example.
 


Zeberdi

“Vorsprung durch Technik”
NSC Patron
Oct 20, 2022
6,905
We already have all manner of voluntary service opportunities, how would yours be any different.
Mine? I‘ve not promoted any scheme? I’m just asking the question. All I have done is give a list of options - they are not ones I either support or are against.

I think a voluntary National Civic Service scheme might not be a bad idea however although I have no idea what that might look like. Perhaps a tiered level of commitment and something available to every young person to engage in carrying out work in the community/civic duties etc and something that gives them life skills and a sense of national pride.
That wasn’t the question you posed
It was exactly the question I posed - read the thread title and my first post again and look at the poll options - ie do we need some form of national service to boost recruitment/fighting forces? If so, what form should it take? I then give a list of poll options.

YouGov carried out a very similar poll recently and found the majority of responders supported some form of a voluntary based National Service scheme.



There should be no compultion to doing any of these. We have some of the most professional and highly skilled armed forces in the world - it's the equipment that lets.them down. It's all about quality not quanity - see Russia for an example.

I’m not sure why you are fixating on compulsory schemes - at least half the poll options are for voluntary participation.

As for Russia, it is exactly because of Russia, the possibility of reintroducing some voluntary National Service for example is on the agenda and why some military advisors warning out troops are too depleted. As reported in the Sky News link I posted in my first post.
 
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bhafc99

Well-known member
Oct 14, 2003
7,453
Dubai
Anything military, absolutely no.

Something that lasts say just a month, around 16/17, and involves some kind of community/social/environmental contribution before you leave education and enter adulthood, possibly yes.
 






Chicken Run

Member Since Jul 2003
NSC Patron
Jul 17, 2003
19,795
Valley of Hangleton
As I’ve often said, talk to people who have actually done it and any idea that it’s some magic cure-all to instill some much needed discipline etc soon fades. Unsurprisingly.

My old man did it: chatted up the birds, hung around having tremendous fun playing music and drinking beer in pubs in Germany. My German cousin did it: every photo he has of those days is him and his fellow conscripts roaring drunk, clowning around at what they referred to as the “federal drinking academy”. Maybe not quite what Daily Mail readers/Tories have in mind.
Interesting how different National Service was to some, my late father did it and spent 18 months remembering not look at the Hydrogen Bomb being denoted nearby, I do now have a medal that we will put in a nice frame though
 


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