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

I know a lot about running volunteer activity. Even for proactive, enthusiastic volunteers it's hard to find suitable positions. Volunteers need coordination, support and training. It will be a shit show.

I worked (a lot) at 18 to support myself at uni. Studen loan was around 3k a yr as was my studen accoomodation/rent. Who supports the dc when they are working for free?

I think it's a great idea. The choice of a year of military training or one weekend helping local community isn't exactly arduos. Those choosing the armed forces would benefit immensely from learning discipline and learning a trade. Others that chose one weekend a month would get valuable experience.

At 18 I was full time at uni doing a career related degree with a part time job at weekends and holidays to fund it meaning I couldn’t give up a weekend a month. How would it even work?!

It is a ridiculous idea in this country as they have completely broken the social contract.

After WW2 they knew they could not continue asking young men to give up their lives for a country that gave them no healthcare, slave wages, slum housing, etc. The introduction of council housing, unionised jobs, the national health service was to redress these issues. These all need to be rebuilt before they even consider asking anyone to serve their nation.

If the government doesn't give a shit about their citizens, they can't expect the citizens to give a shit about their country.

How would they get valuable experience? We have community service, it is a form of punishment imposed by courts. There is not enough to do to occupy the tiny number currently doing it, and no one to train and supervise them, and the constant issue that they are taking paid employment away from people - no it is not normal a valuable experience, either for the people doing it or the people having it done for them - it is very expensive, and disruptive. I have occasionally known it complete a useful task, but on those occasions it has taken work from someone who could have been paid to do it, or lead to cancelling of long established volunteers.

And the delay in starting careers is going to push back the age at which young people can get a mortgage, etc, so lead to more housing problems.

And delay the age at which young people are able to start a family, and cost the NHS more as woman have babies later

And what would happen to 18 year olds who get pregnant?

Great idea.
It would pull a lot of them into shape.

If the government doesn't give a shit about their citizens, they can't expect the citizens to give a shit about their country.

this

In what way?

I think people care about their country whether or not they approve of their current government

You'd probably get an awful lot of 18yo having babies .... funny that!

@cannonballz I think younger generations are pretty disenfranchised. I don’t blame them.

You'd probably get an awful lot of 18yo having babies .... funny that!

maybe that’s their way of tackling the falling birth rates!

It won't happen , however I like the thinking of something different .
My only thing is that no kid should leave school and go straight to the dole office .
If they leave school and have a job , higher education, apprenticeship or other then great . If they don't the government step in with community service or something to keep them from a future life of nothing but gaming and criminality

They’re not expecting to get those votes anyway.

I’m just thinking about the one 18 year old I know. About to start uni doing to become an affiliated medical professional so will have to do work placements alongside studying and hoping continue to work part time. Just when would she fit in volunteering too?

We need National Service for politicians: none of them allowed to become an MP until they have worked for at least a year (or three) in a customer-facing, or minimum wage job, so they have lived in the same world in which many of their constituents live.

So many politicians were born into wealth, went to a posh school, followed by Oxford or Cambridge, and have no idea about how anybody else lives.

Then only the uber rich would be able to be a MP. They could afford to do this while living on family money.

I’m not so sure: if they did a job like that in their student days, like many students do nowadays, that would probably count.

Ridiculous policy.

Next week, Sunak to bring back:

• workhouses
• kids up chimneys
• the cane in schools.
• fox hunting.

What a sad, useless, spineless, incompetent little man...

Hope that motivates every 18 year old to help kick the loser out.

It's nonsense and just part of the 'You're safer with the Tories' propaganda.

We had Shapps promising loads of new warships by 2030 and Dowden with his tinned beans, bottled water and wind-up radio advice.

I don’t understand the issue. It is basically one weekend a month, with any armed force or police. I think lots of 18 year olds would benefit.

Ihave always thought this.

The policy is mandatory for every 18yo.