The reaction to National Service on here

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

Many European countries (including Scandinavian countries) have NS. Are they ‘ridiculous’? Or are their much-coveted-by-Mumsnet-users communities better because of their sense of individual responsibility and contribution?

If 24 days (that’s how long it would be in total) of delivering prescriptions or volunteering as a hospital guide has you talking about human rights violations and Nazi Germany, then it’s very clear that you’re so pampered a bit of NS would do you good.

Everyone on here expects the world in terms of a ’village’, generous benefits, a caring society, but wants to do fuck all to contribute to it and think the notion of them having to do ANYTHING for anyone else is insane.

It’s nuts!

@wombat15

Do you expect that the government will create a panic and train every citizen?

They already published information to stock up the food, a new website advising on what to do in an emergency is being launched.
I sometimes wonder if people leave on another planet, under the stone or don't read news...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/18/nato-warns-of-war-with-russia-putin-next-20-years-ukraine/

@wombat15 on the evidence available I would contend that the tories are that stupid.

If it's brought in, ALL adults should be doing it.

Every single adult should contribute to society, have their eyes opened to working with others, different environments and helping.

There is a staggering amount of selfish, ridiculous, twatty idiots who this would benefit. Most of them are well over the age of 18.

I'd respect them more if they brought it in for everyone. This idea is just to appeal to elderly conservative voters so I have so respect for them.

Are you going to give up your weekends for volunteering?

I notice how a lot of people who are all for this aren't 18 and aren't being signed up to it. Interesting.

Just the Tories shoring up their OAP vote. National service yesterday, pensions today.

So you do it, then.

They wouldn't need to train everyone. If this wasn't just about getting votes from Reform Uk they would want to train everyone under 21 or maybe 25. They aren't including those ages as they can vote against them.

No, I agree - I don't think what's being proposed seems very clear as far as it's goals really.

The OPs question though seemed not to be so much about the details of this proposal, but rather the kind of arguments she was hearing against doing it, which she felt were self-centered.

Which seems like it's clearly true based on the thread.

My response was to a question about how a scheme might work. Some of the comments here seem like the posters have no idea how they accomplish an effective national service in other places.

You may be right. 18 years old is suprisingly young. Most of the Military service in other countries is for 21 years old people

They're less self centred than OPs support of the idea in principle, honestly.

Not only does OP fail to achieve this level of volunteering herself, unlike most of the posters she's complaining about, she also thinks she's entitled to assign other people's time and labour.

The claim that car insurance is a silly excuse was a particular classic, when it comes to inability to look beyond one's own nose.

Pretty much all countries that do any kind of national service do it with young people. They are at a natural break between school and work, don't yet usually have obligations to kids of their own, and are about as primed as they ever will be mentally and physically. Also - whatever they learn then will be carried through adulthood. A nation full of adults who have learned certain skills has a good bank to fall back on, more so than if people do it all higglety pigglety.

Over a generation, that means everyone who is able will have done it. You have to start somewhere. It's the same with other age related benefits and obligations introduced at a certain time, some will miss out in one way or another.

16 year old hadn't heard of the idea. He said "delivering prescriptions? Won't you get people stealing someone's opioids?"

14 year old suggested selling the prescriptions on so that they wouldn't be working for free.

Pretty much all countries that do any kind of national service do it with young people. They are at a natural break between school and work, don't yet usually have obligations to kids of their own

I’d be interested to know how many of those countries who have enforced National Service schemes charge their own teens such massive amounts of money to go to university.

I had to do it up to age 40

where are you going to find all these thousands of care home residents prepared to take young people on?

This having one person who comes in every weekend seems like a good idea. Having a revolving door of hundreds of teens every weekend would upset and confuse residents. Never mind the extra staff required to supervise . Also many would be clock watching or not engaging at all with residents . You really need ppl who want to be there that have a caring nature . Not someone forced to do it .

and get PAID good money for it too

Where does this " care home residents" idea even comes from? 🤦🏼‍♀️
The listed areas are NHS, fire service, critical infrastructures. The national service is with the thought of preparing for national emergencies and not just casual random volunteering.

It’s never going to happen. Just like Rwanda was never going to happen. It’s just a ploy to grab headlines and distract from the economy. It is surprisingly popular with a certain element and deeply unpopular with others. So creates a lot of distracting noise.

My own view is I prefer my children to retain their arms and legs and I’d rather not be arming disaffected youth. Fining parents for the actions of their adult children is an outrageous suggestion, but then we already have to fund them at uni. Adult responsibility seems to start later and later.

I think it’s from people mentioning that all the services you mention don’t have the infrastructure to handle 700,000 teens . So people have said get them in care homes . Get them picking up litter. Get them delivering things . When as you said the idea is that they will learn valuable life skills . But in reality that’s not possible for this amount of people and they more than likely will just become free labor .

And where the idea of arming youth and losing arms or legs comes from? 🤦🏼‍♀️
They are going to lose it as a result of volunteering at NHS or what?

They wouldn't dare send them to the care houses neither they would make them fruit pickers. That would quickly be busted and opposed.
Let's see how Labour will prepare for the dark times coming

National Service means military service plus the other time-wasting stuff they are talking about. Remember it wasn’t very long ago that brave youngsters who were keen to serve were sent to Afghanistan and shortly afterwards in need of prosthetic limbs 🤷‍♀️.

It’s never going to happen because Rishi won’t be PM.

BTW the word volunteering means something is voluntary, not compulsory.

At this age my DD worked in a hospital shop and my DS did labouring work on a school project. So I’m not opposed to actual volunteering, the voluntary sort!

What exactly would they do as volunteers for the NHS?