Just got a leaflet through my door from david cameron - I didn't realise they are planning to bring back NATIONAL SERVICE for 16 year olds

I hate the tories but making the lazy yoof help the community is something that should never have stopped.

lucimule - I have a proper job, volunteer and am socially magnificent and am in your cousins age group so I guess that cancels out your point.

It's not about military service, it's about service to the community.

They're already cutting defense spending anyway - doubt they'd want to increase it through army boot camp type thing when they can't afford to revamp their own equipment etc.

The boys who would most benefit from this kind of thing are the ones who won't do it, since it is voluntary anyway.

Presumably for both sexes though?

They are scaling it down in Germany, so few lads were going to the army, most wanted to do social work stuff. It is down to 8mths I think and talking about cutting it altogether.

NetworkGuy

It is a manifesto item.

Exactamondo longfingernails.
As soon as was 14, I worked to buy my own clothes (not school uniform) and if I didn't have the money I wouldn't go shopping. I enjoyed the hard work in restaurants and loved babysitting for local kids. My cousins on the other hand, are still backpacking aged 28 in Thailand or Australia etc and haven't really done a proper job since leaving school.
As Geraldine says, it would help in lots of ways- socially, new skills, confidence etc. Where's the harm?

"it's a few weeks in the summer holidays between GCSEs and A-Levels."

Which will hardly "change their life" with any disciplinary or other problems, just be something else "not to like" for the section that could most do with a "stort, sharp, shock". If it's voluntary, it's going to only be those who wish to do it (or who care about their parents' views if they don't and will do it to not 'lose face' {or financial support})

Sounds good, but if it was important to them, would have been a manifesto item, so it sounds more like window dressing to me.

I think its awful and dont want my little man to do national service. Stupid pillock cameron.

Hmm I mean community service, of course, not military service (though I guess for those who wanted a kind of cadets thing could be organised??)

Sorry - completely not involved in election as am overseas longterm and ineligible to vote, BUT if it's such a great idea why not make it part of the school curriculum in some way?
I did community service (OK, as a way of getting out of Games ) in 6th form and loved it (involved going to talk to an old lady every week for 2 hrs), but I guess it could be expanded so there were different things to choose from...

Oh, and I wouldn't want it to be connected with the military, but that's cos I'm a pacifist.

It's voluntary, won't involve anything military but might involve ex-army people who can no longer fight (due to injury) helping out. It would probably be in the style of the old 'Boys Brigade' (similar to cubs/scouts) but only more higher profile.

Absolutely foxytocin - society was destroyed in this country in the 80s and we desperately need to get it back. I'm not sure if this is the way, but we need to do something .

Amuminscotland - I was obviously generalising and I know there are many young people who aren't like that. But even for the very lovely, good natured young people who wouldn't say boo to a goose, I believe that national service would not only help the nation but would help the young in many ways - not just to prevent them from turning to crime etc but to give them different values, help to show them a different way of life and to make them a less selfish person. This isn't implying that all young people are selfish; you can be a lovely person but still not appreciate what some don't have.

For heaven's sakes, it's not a year, it's a few weeks in the summer holidays between GCSEs and A-Levels.

Most of that time is spent locally - only a couple of weeks at the most are away from home.

Eddie are you referring to the sense of community and social cohesion that the 80's ripped out of so many towns and villages?

I think that wayward or not, all teenagers could benefit from this, contributing to the running of the country by doing either military or social work would hopefully give them a sense of usefulness, help them to gain lots of new skills and confidence. I can't see how it could be a bad thing really.

Amum, I don't think it's anything to do with thinking that all young people are wayward - for me it's more about bringing back a sense of social cohesion and community, and bringing different generations together.

Reading a very interesting book (21st Century Boys) about how this has been lost.

If it is just to be used as cheap labour then I definitely don't agree, but it could be so much more than that and would benefit all young people and beyond.

Seriously?

Where's that popped up from - I've not heard any mention of that before.

yeah, those 16 yos will the the ones volunteering emptying the bedpans in your local hospital next summer.

Well, my 16 yo youth is most definitely not wayward or lacking boundaries, so I think there's a big problem in any kind of generalisation about what "the youth of today" needs. I agree some young people are a problem, but so are plenty of adults.

I agree with it.

Would do our country the world of good.

Great