So pissed off at tories putting military youth groups into deprived area schools

[trashcanjunkie]

We live in Newcastle. Yes it's a deprived area. I feel aghast at the fact the only half decent comprehensive school in our area has a cadet group based at school, with fucking army wankers there recruiting kids. The whole army campaign to get them young and 'make them better people' boils my fucking piss. They're cannon fodder who will likely get shipped out to oil wars, and left up shit creek without a paddle, wanting for basic kit etc. Then they either get blown to pieces, die, or come home horrifically injured or psychologically shattered. Now the government are rolling out another military type program and are putting money into sending them into schools in deprived areas.

Fwiw I've nothing against youngsters learning discipline or survival skills etc. I just have an issue with recruiting cannon fodder from 'us plebs'....

The thread title is AstroTurf and inaccurate.

The policy to encourage CCF into schools other than private schools came from Gordon Browm.

And they're not being put there, it's up to the schools to invite them in.

And, from the responses on the thread, that's far from unpopular anyhow.

(Bitterly remembers "baby killers" being poster when there was a thread about SSAFA)

Last time I sailed up the Tyne it was lined with navy ships.

Labour were in power so I'm afraid I fail to see why "Tories" are responsible for Newcastle's proud naval history. Lots of marines trotting around too so far from "cannon fodder".

DS1 is 21, drives a BMW that he owns outright. He has a substantial amount of savings and is currently skiing with the army.

It's insulting to suggest that the men and women who join up are all "naive"' "impressionable" or even "youths" and have no idea of what they're signing up for.

ifgrandma
show them videos of foreign children lying dead in the street

I was used as a female searcher in Afghanistan. I spent a hell of a lot of time with afghan women and children. Children are very rarely killed as a result of ISAF. Child casualties and deaths are almost always a result of their own countrymen's actions. For example, a five year old girl was brought in to the medics in the FOB where I was living. She had been standing next to a wall as a rocket propelled grenade was fired at US troops. The rpg hit the wall, a shards of metal and concrete were embedded into this little girls tiny body. That little girl, and hundreds of others was maimed by her own people.
Look at the statistics and then come back when you know what you're talking about.

crumblybuscuits I think it's fairly offensive to dismiss people's legitimate concerns about their children and the forces by saying its purely down to them thinking their kids are too good for it. I'm glad your dp has done so well. Why should the only options for young people from his area be dead end job or army though? Try and add the bigger picture and understand what people are saying instead of just knee-jerking about your dp's expetiences only.

fairy well said, I might know your DH!
To those that think the armed forces is about blowing people up, just google the humanitarian stuff we've done in the past year alone (it doesn't make the papers), I've got friends who've been to almost every major international disaster in the past 5 years.
Google the stuff we do in the uk (floods, firemens strike, prison officers strike, when the Olympic security went to pot and we stepped in, mountain rescue)
Also google the mount sinjar massacre, Isis raping girls as young as 9. British airstrikes and aid drops were a life line to those people. No British military killed, but the yazazidi people were finally able to get off the mountain. No cannon fodder there.

whatdoIget
I've given plenty of examples of paths different to my DP's as have many other people. I literally said in 90% of my posts, no one is forcing these children to join. They're not bribing them with sweeties to sign up. I do understand the bigger picture and can to a point understand your discomfort. I still think you're unreasonable for wanting to close down an access route for kids into a viable career. I would also be less likely to knee-jerk if you weren't posting offensive derogatory statements about the armed forces but hey, each to their own.

We had army cadets in my school 35 years ago - in leafy Surrey

I eondered why our local posh private school puts its pupils in army gear.

I don't think it's such a bad thing for working class vhildren. At least it's s job. That's the reality these days.

Totally agree with you OP.

The world is on the brink of an era of great uncertainly with dwindling energy reserves and climate change meaning wars over resources are likely - indeed many would say it's already started.

We should be working together to find solutions such as moving away from using oil, and preparing ourselves for mass migration due to climate change (and I don't mean by building fences! It may be us doing the migrating!) but instead this government is not investing in alternative energies - or caring about how important it is for future generations - and is instead militarising our youth.

Great

I am from Newcastle.

1. to describe the whole city as deprived is ridiculous. There are deprived areas as there are in all cities.

2.There was a cadet unit at my Newcastle inner city deprived school 30 years ago. It's not a newfangled thing the Torres are doing 3.cadets is a youth organisation they do not recruit to the forces. Many of the leaders are non military volunteers. They do give children the opportunity to do things they may otherwise not get to do e.g adventure sports, air cadets can learn to fly etc. Even the uniform is provided free so it's open to everyone regardless of income. I think monthly subs are about £10. What other youth activities for teens are that cheap?

1. Your views on service personnel are abhorrent.
2. Many wealthy schools also have cadet units. Prince Harry was in a cadet unit! It's not something established to get 'cannon fodder' from poor areas it's open to all teens regardless of wealth or status.

You are wrong op and poorly educated.

Mum was a geordie (eeer, she would not have like her city being described as deprived) and both her parents served during ww2 (different areas) and thank Christ they did.

I am incredibly proud of them and what they did for this country. They weren't called up - they volunteered.

For all those saying they shouldn't be recruiting in schools, where should they be recruiting? We need our armed forces. We need to keep recruiting people to forfil all sorts of roles within the service. Presenting these young adults with an option of a good career is not a bad thing, anyone who thinks a person takes up a role in the armed forces without knowing the risk of seeing active duty is incredibly naive in my opinion.

I am not in the armed forces, but have many friends and relatives who either are or have been. I would be proud of my child if this is the path they choose to take. Maybe lets credit these youths with enough intelligence to work out for themselves whether the army is the place for them.

"inaccurate to present the cadet forces as underhand recruitment"

Of course it's recruitment. Ask anyone who works in marketing if they would see a similar number of training schools branded with their product name as anything other than a massive marketing opportunity.

Not everyone who attends will sign up but many will, who would not have done otherwise.

myegg I've ex-(and current) colleagues who worked in field hospitals along with ISAF, have also heard many similar stories and the guilt that they have for not being able to save everyone is immense. ️I cannot applaud this work enough.

I live in a fairly deprived part of the country and we have a sea cadet group at the local secondary school. DD is 11 and has been going for a few months and she is absolutely loving it! She's already been climbing and done a water safety course and she's taught herself to iron!! TBH, she's in the guides too and Sea Cadets is so much more exciting. It's £14 a months as well. I can't see anything not to like about it.

and is instead militarising our youth.

What a massive over exaggeration.

Oh and if she decided to join the Navy I'd be over the moon! It's got to be better than working in a nursing home like I did.

Poppie yeah exactly. But those of us who have been there and seen it don't know what we are talking about. We are just trigger happy, child murderers, who were brainwashed by the government

Why is this a torie thing?!?

Op yabu.

My Dd has no intention of a military career but enrolled last year in Air Cadets and is thriving. She is gaining experience and qualifications in areas that would otherwise not have been open to her. It's a brilliant opportunity.
Our area is in no way deprived, it's just not viewed as a bad thing. Everyone who learns Dd is a cadet has a lot of respect for her, it takes dedication and commitment!
The rewards are many and I'm very proud, especially when we go to church services and see the people that our children are helping in the community.

Why is this a torie thing?!?

It isn't. As tiggytape has said.

Perhaps cadets in the deprived areas would love CCF and become officers, massively improving their prospects. But don't let that chip on your shoulder weigh you down too much, OP.

I think CCF and the attitudes that underpin it long predate the rise of "marketing".

Everyone who has any actual exposure to CCF knows that it's not about recruitment, and only very low numbers go on to show any interest in a military career (and they probably would have done, irrespective of whether there was a school based CCF or not)

There was one at the boys grammar in the not really leafy at all small town where I was brought up. Don't remember anyone from there joining up - certainly none in my year, and pretty sure none in other years then.