National Service if Tories are re-elected

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

Thoughts? 🍿

It's ridiculous, and I can't believe it's been given space.
Just don't vote Tory. God, I can't believe anyone would ever do that after all these years! I was a single newly-single parent age 21 early 1997. I was working full time when the father of my kid left me.

He was the stay at home dad so I had to pay for childcare out of my inheritance because my dad died when I was 20. Don't tell me that these Tories will have sympathy for people like me, whose dad served in the RAF till he died.

Thankfully, Labour came in, and they gave me tax credit.

Fast forward now, my partner works as an IT contractor, paying taxes. I'm an author. Ugh paying taxes. Not much LOL! But we are where we are.
I have no faith in the Conservatives. For anyone who has children without marriage (which is our right! and should be!) we need to make a will! I despair.

My parents are older and vote Tory and there’s no way they would want this. So much ageism on this thread as well as racist ‘gammon’ comments.

If they vote Tory this is what they are going to get though.

🤣🤣🤣

A safe distance would be required. Surely though, given the terms of the GFA, it would not fly at all on NI, given that everyone there has the option to declare that they are not British.

Some people seem to be confusing National Service with Community service. National service is joining the military. In the current world setting I’m both surprised this would be popular with voters when they consider their own kids, and also not surprised that it may be something that continues to be aired given reported military capacity should things really get worse - whatever the elected party.

1. the money wasted could most certainly be better spent elsewhere

2. why the fuck would any 18 year old want to? They are not slaves to the system, why should they work for free?

3. most 18 year olds are studying. They work at the weekends. They need to as studying is so expensive

4. the army does not want it. Pretty sure the NHS etc will feel the same. What are they supposed to do with all these 18 year olds?

5. what about young people training at sports? They need their weekends

6. obviously there will be a race for exemptions. Who will pay for that?

7. it is morally wrong

It's a long time since I was 18, but if I was and someone tried to make me do this, I'd tell them where to shove it and dare them to lock me up.

Thankfully the Tories won't win the election anyway, and they'll probably come up with some even stupider ideas.

How wonderful, another scheme to force the working class children to be cannon fodder in the armed forces. If you need to work weekends to put yourself through uni you don't exactly have the option to do a weekends volunteering once a month.

I'd like to think this will have the opposite of the desired effect and lose the Tories a whole heap of voters but I've lost faith in humanity and common sense at this point.

What I'd really like to see is MPs forced to live on minimum wage for 2 years before being allowed to vote on policy. Think it would do far more to teach "social responsibility" where its actually needed.

So we're going to get the same 'little shits' volunteering around vulnerable people? Befriending the elderly being one suggestion. Where is the safeguarding?

Exactly, it's so stupid. One of the big problems with National Service that led to it being axed was the issue of unmotivated people who at best would do as little as possible, and at worst would actively cause trouble. I'm sure the NHS would love to be burdened with a bunch of scrotes who can't be arsed.

So, he is trying to borrow ideas from Scandinavian countries now? 🤔🙄

I fully support national service...

for all politicians. a minimum of 5 years in their locality before they are even allowed to stand for election

will solve all sorts of problems

Rich man stands in rain for 5 minutes and thinks he's SAS.

If its good enough for him...!

Which Tory donor will be awarded the contract to roll this out? Isn’t the boss of Next a massive Brexiteer? Maybe they’ll use our tax money to pay him to provide the uniforms?

At 18 both my kids were at college/uni. Both had weekend jobs.

where would they find the time?

Personally I’d be furious if anyone forced me to do anything one weekend a month. I’m 56, my time is my own.

There are also people in this country, who completed miltary service, who are a lot younger than that: foreigners, including my dh. It is also possible to consult them and the countries, which never stopped national service, such as France.

It's a party flailing about wildly in an attempt to get votes. Very desperate.

Sure. Have a referendum and restrict national service/volunteers to those who vote yes. Everybody's happy.

@MaryMaryVeryContrary

In theory i think aspects of this could be beneficial to young men or and late teens boys,
such as this kind of things helps to develop self initiative,
improve personal resilience,
improve self cofindence sense of pride in ones appearance ect,

but in practice i am not quite sure if its the right thing,
However i wonder if there are other potentional initiatives that could be explored,
could be validated or and allready are known to be beneficial to young people especially,
Could be implemented then?

such as conditionally attached to recieving certain benefits which it is compulsory to have to do volunteering charity work for so many hours a,week to improve cv and build self cofindence and develop new skills and in regards of self development etc

Could be one of them or the main factor 🤔 🤷 one?

Its not National Service.

Its a choice for NEETS - and it's volunteering or a form of national service - but the military element is capped at 30,000 places (5% of all 18yos) in trades such as cyber, procurement and logistics.

That’s what I thought @exLtEveDallas. I didn’t think it was for every 18yo.

They bring back National Service that is the final straw for me as a party supporter since childhood.

I will not support compulsory state organised labour of adult 18 year olds.

That's an odd final straw given that the last 14 years have been one disaster after another.

So £2.5 billion for national service and nothing for mental health. A lot of 18 year olds that aren’t in college or work are in that position because MH provision is broken and it is impossible to access much needed treatments or support in either CAMHs or adult.

I’m a pensioner and I think it’s a ridiculous idea.
The Krays did national service and that didn’t end well!

Is it just for NEETS? I thought mandatory for all at 18?