Sunak promises to introduce mandatory national service for 18 year olds

[gosub]

On cue, Admiral West describes the scheme as 'bonkers'.

My late dad was in a tonteen with Admiral West..both igned up a couple of years after National Service ended

 

[Poot]

I'm fortunate to know a lot of youngsters who'd be a credit to national service of some sort and likely welcome it. Unfortunately, a lot of the others are feckless arseholes who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the armed forces. That's why this policy is a stinker.

I think you may have missed out the thousands upon thousands who are smart, compliant, ambitious and can see this whole thing for the absolute arseholery that it actually is.

 

[gosub]

 

[two sheds]

My late dad was in a tonteen with Admiral West..both igned up a couple of years after National Service ended

a shared annuity where a group of investors pools money and as they die, their share of the returns is split among the surviving investors?

ah no that's tontine - what's a tonteen again? Or did you mean in a canteen with Admiral West?

 

[Silas Loom]

a shared annuity where a group of investors pools money and as they die, their share of the returns is split among the surviving investors?

ah no that's tontine - what's a tonteen again? Or did you mean in a canteen with Admiral West?

All I know of these comes from The Wrong Box. But that’s probably all that needs knowing.

 

[gosub]

a shared annuity where a group of investors pools money and as they die, their share of the returns is split among the surviving investors?

ah no that's tontine - what's a tonteen again? Or did you mean in a canteen with Admiral West?

It's a bottle of brandy to the last man standing

 

[two sheds]

All I know of these comes from The Wrong Box. But that’s probably all that needs knowing.

Yes I learned of them from a similar story. I only know it'll all end in tears

 

[rubbershoes]

Btw, do grammar schools really have CCFs? I only ask because the one I went to is exactly the sort that would (it even had a rifle range ffs), but it didn’t.

Not the one I know of near here

 

[Elpenor]

a shared annuity where a group of investors pools money and as they die, their share of the returns is split among the surviving investors?

ah no that's tontine - what's a tonteen again? Or did you mean in a canteen with Admiral West?

Always went for the tuna sandwiches in the canteen did Admiral West

 

[Serge Forward]

Of course, there's always something like this...

But as we're all living under capitalism, with an increasingly authoritarian state and little in the way of resistance or class consciousness... then hmm...

 

[WouldBe]

Amusingly, she's joined the TA (I'm supposed to call it the Army Reserve, but I'm old, and it's still the TA to me...),

So we can't call them stab's anymore. What is it now? ARses?

 

[PR1Berske]

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

On the subject of "fond memories" of national service, my father did always say he had an easy time in Egypt in 1947. He told me though that he acted a bit incompetent and incapable around his superiors so they didn't know what to do with him and his sergent was a kindly sort of chap and nothing like the stereotypes on telly like Ain't Half Hot, Mum and Get Some In. So he ended up with all the doss jobs it'd be hard to fuck up. I don't think he ever read Svejk but dad's stories put me in mind of that book.

All that said, he knew that most conscripts had a rough time of it and he was just lucky. If he was around today, I'm pretty sure he'd see this latest stunt as pure bollocks.

My uncle Des was in Egypt about the same time as your Dad. He said it was a complete waste of his life.

 

[JimW]

Fair few conscripts ended up fighting the Commie insurgents in Malaysia, and rounding the villagers up into camps.

 

[GarveyLives]

Gloriously unworkable,

And, that's all everyone needs to know,

First I heard of it ..

Nobody's been talking about it ..

Ministry of Defence written question – answered at on 23 May 2024.

Mark Pritchard Conservative, The Wrekin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the reintroduction of national service on national security.

Andrew Murrison The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence

The Government has no current plans to reintroduce National Service. Since 1963, when the last national servicemen were discharged, it has been the policy of successive Governments that the best way of providing for the defence of our country is by maintaining professional Armed Forces staffed by volunteers. The demanding, increasingly technical, nature of defence today is such that we require highly trained, professional men and women in our Regular and Reserve Armed Forces, fully committed to giving their best in defending our country and its allies.

If potentially unwilling National Service recruits were to be obliged to serve alongside the professional men and women of our Armed Forces, it could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources. If, on the other hand, National Service recruits were kept in separate units, it would be difficult to find a proper and meaningful role for them, potentially harming motivation and discipline. For all these reasons, there are no current plans for the restoration of any form of National Service.

When It Rains It Pours.​

 

[The39thStep]

I read this early January. It's a very balanced examination of the realities of national service plus a look at how it has been portrayed in books , plays and film/TV.

National Service: A Generation in Uniform 1945-1963 by Richard Vinen. Less than 3 euros on Kindle. Review below

National Service by Richard Vinen review – a strange social experiment

Nicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: a fascinating look at the postwar conscript’s life, from spud-bashing to policing the colonies

www.theguardian.com

​

 

[dessiato]

This already happens. Except it's 4 years.

It's why my nephew joined the Met. He gets four years work experience, and free university tuition.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Are people really approving the idea of something that is effectively economic conscription? Join the army and you might get to go to college?

 

[Silas Loom]

Are people really approving the idea of something that is effectively economic conscription? Join the army and you might get to go to college?

If the offer applies to all other public services too, then why not?

 

[brogdale]

If the offer applies to all other public services too, then why not?

But it doesn’t

 

[Silas Loom]

But it doesn’t

But it should.

 

[brogdale]

But it should.

Nah, if we’re into the realm of should, there’d be no HE fees to pay at all.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

If the offer applies to all other public services too, then why not?

because everyone should be entitled to an education on the same terms regardless of their parental wealth.

This is just conscription with an opt-out for the rich. It stinks.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Nah, if we’re into the realm of should, there’d be no HE fees to pay at all.

And sometimes this is talked about as if it were some impossible dream. Certainly that cunt Starmer won't be in a hurry to abolish fees.

 

[moochedit]

Are people really approving the idea of something that is effectively economic conscription? Join the army and you might get to go to college?

Join the army for a year and get paid or do 25 days unpaid work for the nhs/police etc as punishment

 

[A380]

Imagine if the police had loads of 18 year olds with no life experience, no knowledge of policing, people who’d never done a day’s patrol work or detected a single crime foist on them. They’d all be superintendents before the week was out…

Also, you can’t actually join the police as an officer till you are 18 and a half and most forces have the same limits for PCSOs.

 

[Calamity1971]

 

[spitfire]

 

[PR1Berske]

If the offer applies to all other public services too, then why not?

"Sign up to the Army to make you CV look good" is horrendous.

 

[The39thStep]

Fine tradition of fighting conscription during WW1 in which the IWW were prominent down under.