ok, lets actually have a quick vote on the Compulsory National Service at 18 idea

[cannonballz]

I dont think any of the threads running have an actual poll. I can't believe anyone would go along with enforced labour of 18 year olds, particularly when dictated by someone so immensely wealthy, privileged and so utterly out of touch.

Lets see

This has nothing to do with Labour, so why bring them up?

I've actually got FB friends who are wanking themselves with joy over this suggestion.

They are either people with grown up children (so unaffected), or childless. They seem to also think they've done it (despite being born in the early 50s). To be fair Wikipedia does say that it ended in the late 60s, but no one born from1939 was conscripted (it was those who'd been called previously but couldn't do it who were still obliged; which may answer a previous poster's question about those studying or working.

Some say kids today are too 'weak' to do t and other disparaging remarks.

It was touted last year, which may have been a ploy to guage their supporters reaction.

How about promising decent funding for the NHS, police and schools, etc?

No. But yes at 24 for annoying twat men who lean out of vans and shout shit at random women. Three years for them, stationed at least 200 miles from their home town and not allowed to drink, smoke or have a phone.

Agreed 100%.

I actually think you are on to something. In my work I’ve met so many youngsters who are lazy and think the rest of us should clear up after them. I would like to see something like you describe put in place.

How to lose a large majority of 18-25 voters in one fell swoop

However......God knows how you'd make it hapoen, though. Those who will do it willingly likely already do.

Yes, this would be like the Law of Signs, where the only people who will ever bother to read them are the decent/sensible/thinking folk for whom they were never needed in the first place.

This will be trumpeted as a way to keep the anti-social layabouts and aimless ne'er-do-wells off the street and give them a sense of purpose... yet the only ones who will end up actually doing it will be the conscientious young adults who were already helping out in their community, behaving responsibly and who have diligent plans in place for following worthwhile pursuits in their lives and careers - except they'll now be delayed for an extra year before they can continue to do so.

...You're spot on about it being a punishment for being young.

Maybe we could extend it to specifically include all of the slightly/somewhat/much older adults who aimlessly and negatively spend their time antisocially moaning about young people and blaming them for being young.

You never know, it might give them a sense of purpose and an understanding of how we learn to respect each other in society.

Clutching at straws to appeal to the back in my day type voter's.
Stupid idea.

I mean, if you have managed to find the detail out on obviously controversial headline then that’s really on you…

Sticking my neck out here to say this is something I am actually in favour of. Many other countries have it. I have family in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, for example, all of which have national service. And it's done with enthusiasm and pride by most. It teaches valuable life skills. It levels the field because it provides the same experience regardless of background. It's not hardcore military conflict that scaremongers would describe.
As someone up thread says, it would basically be like providing the Duke of Edinburgh scheme but with extra, and provided to everyone instead of to a minority.
I personally would have really benefited from it, having left education with no idea or direction of what to do.

So what's stopping you from making up for lost time and signing yourself up for it now?

Goodness, you’ve lead a sheltered life, I’ve met lazy people from all generations, often the types to make lazy, sweeping generalisations about a whole generation of people who they have never met!

Haven’t not ‘have’.

Nope.
I know hate is a strong word, but I hate the Tory Party.
The shit our young people are putting up with and can't remember anything different, then the tories want to kick them while they're down.
Makes me sick.

Money is coming from the funds meant for levelling up

I can't see any mention of the NCS? My DC, nieces and nephews and all of their friends took part in this. It still seems to be running.

When my DC took part, it was (I think) four weeks. Two residential and then two planning and volunteering in the community.

To have this as compulsory, imo, would be excellent.

In theory, the community option sounds ok. In reality, most 18 year olds I know are at uni and working lots of hours to pay for it, because often loans don’t cover living expenses. The torys would need to magic up some actual spare time for these youngsters to do this service in, or pay them what they would be losing in wages.

Its ill thought out, just like the vat on school fees by labour and probably lots of other ideas these clueless people on both sides come up with. I really don’t think I’ll be voting.

My nieces and nephews did it and thought it was shite. Again, where’s the time coming from when so many of these youngsters are working and desperately trying to save for uni?

How would all the ND people manage this?

My niece, along with her parents have already said she's not going to work due to her diagnosis of ND

Its not National Service as it was back in the day.

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.

My DC used a wheelchair at 18 because she was disabled.

I mean it's obviously scraping the bottom of the barrel for election suggestions but it'll never happen, not least because it costs money.

Sticking my neck out here to say this is something I am actually in favour of. Many other countries have it. I have family in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, for example, all of which have national service. And it's done with enthusiasm and pride by most. It teaches valuable life skills. It levels the field because it provides the same experience regardless of background. It's not hardcore military conflict that scaremongers would describe

in the countries you've listed, National Service has been part of their country's culture for around 100 years and was also historically linked to the Cold War (given their geographic location), so that's the reason why they had conscription in those countries (on and off over the decades).

This proposal for conscription in UK seems to be loosely linked to the fact we are living in an increasingly volatile world with high profile conflicts going on, and senior military stating that the Government has hollowed out the Armed Forces due to the 'Peace Dividend' since WWII so conscription would be necessary to plug the gap in numbers.

The trouble is, there's no strategy or substance behind this proposal just "we will introduce Conscription" which is hardly likely to come to anything so it's not something to get worked up about.

Lots of posts about leaving the country if Labour get in, if the Tories do with this plan we will be off. It’s outrageous, what have they done for younger generations? Is this really an appealing idea for their core voter base?

Sticking my neck out here to say this is something I am actually in favour of. Many other countries have it. I have family in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, for example, all of which have national service. And it's done with enthusiasm and pride by most. It teaches valuable life skills. It levels the field because it provides the same experience regardless of background. It's not hardcore military conflict that scaremongers would describe

Those countries are a lot more equal & invest in young people.