'Bring Back National Service'.....Yay or Nay???

[tiredemma]

Just seen a news item on Sky where a 'Knife Tsar' is suggesting brining back National Service.

Brooke Kinsella (sis of murdered Ben Kinsella) suggested the same the other day.

I know very little about National Service so cannot comment on whether its a good thing or a bad thing.

What do you lot think????

and national servive doesn't have to miliatary in nature, it could involve getting young people to work on conservation projects etc etc

a good thing to get kids away from their normal home life and expose them to people with different ideas and backgrounds

yes it's about 'teaching respect, respecting authority, giving people a sense of pride in their Country and growing up' in the context of an army. and the purpose of armies is to defend some people and attack others which invariably involves people being killed.

planting trees was jsut one off the cuff example - i'm sure others could think of much better ones.

Agree with MsSparkle! Whilst I'm not sure that those who did National Service should be made to go to war, the idea of mandatory basic training to instil respect and discipline should certainly be considered. And, yes, for the record, I'd be happy for my DD to do National Service when she was older.

The likelyhood of any of the men doing National Service actually going to war would be slim. The purpose of it in the first place was prepare young men incase a war broke out.

No.

The Armed Forces shouldn't become a dumping ground for all those with no job and no direction in life.

I do like the idea of a community service based model though, with those unwilling to work being made to do jobs like gardening for elderly/disabled people, sweeping streets, painting walls and railings, mowing the grass in parks etc.

Israel has national service. and absolutely no social problems whatsoever

Plus they have to reaslise that in life there are always things you don't want to do but have to.

The excuse "But i don't wanna do it" is childish and pathetic.

I don't think National Service was about any of those things TBH because it was around in a time when young people (in fact society as a whole) was more deferential. And in any case this go in as boys and come out as men theory is a bit silly. What do you expect to happen over two years when kids are transitioning to adulthood? I can't see it doing much for knife crime etc because you would have to catch children a great deal younger than 18. Seems to me that it NS is one of those old chestnuts people bring out as part of golden age stuff - ie it was so much better in the old days...

Life was very different in many many ways a generation or two ago, but I don't think you can reintroduce paternalism once you have started to let it go.

Knife crime and the poor aspirations and life choices of some inner city kids needs to be addressed in a much more holistic way, involving families and communities.

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i think i agree with Cod. difficult to tell

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something needs to be done to stop knife crime though, any other suggestions because this one is the best yet imo.

I think it should be - at least 1yr. agree with belgos idea.

My uncle did National Service and he fought in Malayia. He has some very scary stories and nearly got killed.

My dads bro also did national service. He is slightly older than my dad. My dad says that he went away as a nice young man and came back a "c*nt". Sorry my dads' description not mine. Military service does not alway make the best of someone.

I wouldn't mind a community type programme but is probably too namby pamby for the boys that it would need to help.

How big an increasein taxation would be required to fund the wages for all these people, because presumably it would be every young person in the country employed by the state for, what, two years? Particularly if a community service option were available...

Definitely agree - 2 years community or military (not front line) service to be done by everyone. Can choose when to do it from 14-25. All teenagers would receive vouchers for education so they could easily slot back in afterwards if that's what they wanted to do.

Fitness levels would soar, obesity levels would drop, gangs would be broken up, kids without direction and mentoring would gain both. All those voluntary posts which go unfilled because everyone's too busy would be taken care of. Can't see any reasons not to tbh.

Our kids would look at us as the selfish generation after this.

No.

Why should the armed forces be burdened with the ills of society?

No, for a number of reasons.

Belgo, re the Israeli NS scheme, dh and I have met quite a few people who hated it, and not a single one who had a positive experience.

Yes in principle but I suspect it wouldn't work too well in practice. However I think the continental model of opting for either military sevice or some form of social service would be great.

Get outta here!!

Send them off to a Buddista re-socialising camp for 2 years, NOT how to get fitter and kill people please......rather the defeats the thingy of the thingy......

Isn't this already compulsory in some european countries?

I think it's a great idea. It wouldn't be about putting their lives at risk (they aren't going to send them into a war zone and the military help out in all sort of disaster situations like last years floods), but doing a year in the military or something like charity work would help all kids develop before they make a final decision about what to do with their lives, and also would be a way to give something back.

And with kids that have been involved in trouble, matching their service to the type of trouble they've caused might be a way of getting them to see the consequences. Of course it won't work with some kids but hopefully it would provide opportunities to kids that wouldn't normally get them as well as giving all children a purpose.

go on...actually type some words......you know you want to...