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

[A1X]

I can't wait to see the miracles that Starmer etc al have in store for us,... 16 yo voting??!!... what a wonderful start...

Why shouldn’t they be allowed to vote, exactly?

 

[armchairclubber]

At first I thought this was satirical.

It was surely, I still believe it was, we'll wait for his response.

 

[dippy2449]

I served in the armed forces for a total of almost 40 years and I watched it decline to the point where the rainbow flag was bigger than the Union or regimental flag and live firing could not take place because of low grade or lack of ammunition.
One year is insufficient to be trained in anything other than drill (marching) weapons training (shooting if there is a range and ammunition available) and basic field craft most of which will be forgotten withing 6 months unless there is a requirement for periodic training.

As for charity work by the older "privileged", I see elderly staff working in British Heart Foundation and other charity shops for free when the CEO's are on a six figure salary.

I fear that those who choose community work will be exploited.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Clever move by the Tories to float an unworkable " look over there " scheme that will never reach fruition. We don't have the infrastructure or the armed forces personnel or the amount of uniforms to supply 2 or 3 hundred thousand teenagers.

I can absolutely guarantee you that Sunak has a friend / business contact / donor, who can (quickly set up a company) to supply all of the uniforms they need.

 

[lawros left foot]

I have a theory.

Sunak was asked if the Rwanda ‘plan’ was the most ridiculous policy his government could come up with.

He then decided to resurrect national service, to prove Rwanda wasn’t the maddest thing he could think of.

 

[Krafty]

Have to say I agree. As someone who has employed a lot of 19-24 year olds in recent times, so many of them completely lack basic life skills that I had at that age.

What basic life skills?

 

[armchairclubber]

As for charity work by the older "privileged", I see elderly staff working in British Heart Foundation and other charity shops for free when the CEO's are on a six figure salary.

I fear that those who choose community work will be exploited.

I had a conversation yesterday morning with a friend who had just been to a charity shop volunteers meeting that struggle with recruitment.

Would you believe even in "blue rinse" Bexhill shops can struggle and notification of closure has been given by said well remunerated Area Manager.

Only once they had been asked for any ideas though.

 

[cunning fergus]

Why shouldn’t they be allowed to vote, exactly?

Well, in the biological context, they are stupid. In the political context then they are a perfect addition to the electoral franchise.

Notwithstanding their inability to drink, smoke or get married (because they cannot be trusted to make a considered or rational decision), recent Govt analysis referenced how the adult brain does not mature sufficiently till it reaches 25 years. This was the evidence out to the Government on its review into gambling and why bookies have to treat customers under 26 differently.

New £2 maximum stake for under 25s playing online slots

Stake limits for online slot games will be introduced for the first time in September, including lower limits for young adults, as the Government continues to roll out measures to protect people from gambling harms.

www.gov.uk

Of course, this gives rise to the question that voting should be raised to 26 years, only those with a intelligence of a sub 25 year old would think differently.

 

[nwgull]

I'm going to make an assumption that most of NSC was born after 1942, so have never actually done military/national service themselves. I wonder if those 92 that have voted for compulsory national service would fancy it so much if there was no upper limit and everyone over the age of 18 had to sacrifice a year of their lives to do it?

 

[A1X]

Well, in the biological context, they are stupid. In the political context then they are a perfect addition to the electoral franchise.

Notwithstanding their inability to drink, smoke or get married (because they cannot be trusted to make a considered or rational decision), recent Govt analysis referenced how the adult brain does not mature sufficiently till it reaches 25 years. This was the evidence out to the Government on its review into gambling and why bookies have to treat customers under 26 differently.

New £2 maximum stake for under 25s playing online slots

Stake limits for online slot games will be introduced for the first time in September, including lower limits for young adults, as the Government continues to roll out measures to protect people from gambling harms.

www.gov.uk

Of course, this gives rise to the question that voting should be raised to 26 years, only those with an intelligence of a sub 25 year old would think differently.

Very offensive to 16 year olds joining the army, presumably you regard them as being morons who don’t know what they’re doing?

 

[Berty23]

"Done their bit"

By that of course you mean worked during an era of decent wages and terms & conditions, low taxation, low interest rates and booming house prices.

For many of us in this generation, opportunity fell into our laps.
The rewards for hard work were worth having. Increasingly that is no longer the case.

Yes. It was meant as a joke.

 

[Berty23]

At first I thought this was satirical.

It was.

 

[Bold Seagull]

It was.

Phew, I nearly bit, so it was successful.

 

[Berty23]

This was the government’s position on Thursday.

 

[pb21]

No I didn’t. But I do think it might have helped me.

Pretty much all positive/constructive experience would help kids develop, but only schooling is mandatory, think it's one for the parents or really the individual to choose.

Anyway, why do you think kids that you employ today don't have the basic life skills you did at their age?

 

[Doonhamer7]

Maybe they’ll do the Turkish national service model, you can postpone it whilst in development (my mate didn’t sit his chartered engineer review because of this), then at 39 you are allowed to pay 10,000euros to do a one month course instead of 18months. i wonder which part of our society has £10k spare?

 

[armchairclubber]

Did hear rumour that some Tory MPs on getting wind of Sunak making his General Election announcement, were getting it together to put in a vote of no confidence.

The announcement did have a rushed feel to it. Makes you wonder. Maybe they had some sense of how even more ludicrous it was going to become.

 

[dippy2449]

This was the government’s position on Thursday. View attachment 183004

There are very few training facilities accommodation and qualified trainers, certainly not up to the quantity they are suggesting.
Military accommodation and Barrack are privatised, the food is privatised. It will be a massive pay day for Serco and Sodexo and dare I say all those with shares in those companies.

 

[Berty23]

I find attacks from my generation and older ones on today’s youth so tiresome. Young people are influenced by the environment in which they exist. Who creates that environment? Older generations.

“Kids are on smartphones all the time including in restaurants and pubs while out for family meals” - who invented the screens? Who bought them for the kids? Who allows them to have screens at the table? All of these things are caused by older generations.

“Young people today have a throwaway culture rather than mending things” so who was it who invented all of the plastics that made things so much cheaper? Who taught kids that you throw stuff away rather than replace it?

“Young people don’t have the basic skills I had” - my old man was rarely around when I was a kid as he was in the military but when he was he taught me stuff but mostly it was my mum. All those basic life skills. Cooking, cleaning, ironing, earning pocket money etc.

“Kids expect everything to be given to them rather than working for it” who gives stuff free to kids. Parents and grandparents. And then the same people moan about them wanting things for nothing.

“The young are no good at making their own entertainment anymore” that is because us parents and grandparents are constantly trying to keep them busy. If in doubt chuck them a tablet.

“Young people are overweight and lazy” - who prepares the meals? Us. Who buys them sweets? Us. Some parents struggle for time to cook proper healthy meals because they are working all the time. Who created the situation where we all have to work crazy hours? The kids? Of course not. It is us and older generations.

So basically society loves to point the blame at youngsters but it is on us and older people who have created them. Kids are not born lazy with a bad attitude.

 

[alanfp]

Regardless of my views, I think it's a big vote-loser.

I think that the MAJORITY of voters with children currently aged 1-17 (or who are planning a family) won't like it . Voters with grandchildren aged 1-17 won't like it. Voters with great grandchildren aged 1-17 won't like it. That probably covers 90% of voters.