Bring back National Service??????

[keyholekatebaron]

I had two brothers who did 2 years in Germany National Service when I was young. I can't see many youngsters even passing the entrance exam/medical nowadays can you? Kate B.

[emmie]

No, and the services don't want them either im sure.

[welshlibranr]

doubt they would pass the entrance exam kate, they may well be ok with the medical, let's be fair, they should be healthy enough, they're young and fit mostly!........but they may well benefit from national service, if they could hack it!.........sure they wouldn't!........sad!.....

[wolf63]

You want to give these idiots guns ?

[factor-fiction]

Give them guns? They can bring their own surely.

[237SJ]

You don`t have to go in the army and have guns to do national service. For example, many of the female security people in Tel Aviv airport are doing their national service.

[Old_Geezer]

Unless your country is under attack I don't think a government has moral justification for forcing folk into the military (or alternative). No I suspect few would pass the entrance exam, but I don't believe I ever would have either.

[askyourgran]

We certainly need some sort of strict no nonsense regime for those young people (and the absent parents) who think it is good fun to run riot and literally mess on their own doorsteps. Pathetic mindless yobbery copying the recent riots in Europe. The Army wouldn't have them. What annoys me is that lessons were not learned from the previous carry on. What a wet bunch we have in power, they were still pussyfooting around about using water cannon.

[LoftyLottie]

What brilliant services we would have if these youths were forced into joining them!!! Only people that want a vocation in the services should be joining up. Why would we foist all the layabouts and trouble makers upon them.

[Wrongn3mber]

You like many others here are under this preconceived misconception that all of todays kids are illiterate and stupid, This is not the case at all but what you do see is clever kids clever but not using their brains to it's full capacities or using it for bad instead of good.

[emmie]

wrongnumber, maybe many are not, but i have a tendency to believe my own eyes and ears, it's not just the street slang, stance, but the general don't give a damn about anyone or anything that i cannot understand. No respect at all, for schools, for parents, or indeed for anyone in authority. It's not just a teen thing either, rebelling against their elders, i see it in much older people, and sorry but many of the girls are no better, and many are passing those same attitudes onto their small children.

[askyourgran]

Wrongn3 Whatever "preconceived misconceptions" sic, we are labouring under. This cannot not excuse the display of arrogant disregard for other people, the damage to their livelihoods and property by these so-called emininently brainy young yobbos (temporarily not in charge of their brains), but they can be led like sheep into this disgraceful behaviour by others like them.

[Twenty20]

Well, I don't see why they can't do national service. There must be loads of places like Afghanistan that we could send them?

The army used plenty of perfectly good, decent men as cannon fodder in WW1. Why not use these yobs and scum instead and send them in as a front line attack before we use the real army? Ok, maybe only a few would come back, but that's not really a problem, is it?






Ok, I'm not totally serious, but the idea does have a certain appeal. And they'd be getting a chance to show just how tough and brave they are.

[emmie]

Twenty the men were decent types in WW1, most anyways, many from small villages and towns, and they sacrificed their lives, as did those in WW2, so we could end up with the Britain of today, was it worth it.

[DTCwordfan]

Could send them over to Philadelphia where they alaso have riot problems with teenagers, cause the incessant heat. Action by the Mayor of Philadelphia, a curfew of 9 pm now for anyone under 18 or 21 (cant remember the age) who is outside without an adult relative...........might be an idea.

[sandyRoe]

The government is planning cuts in army numbers. That means men and women who want to be there will be made redundant.
Don't know about the entrance exam, but a lot would have trouble with the medical/fitness aspect.

[roxie_09]

Can we stop tarring young people with the same brush, I am 21 and most people I know wouldn't dream of doing anything of the sort seen on the TV this week. And as pointed out on threads already, there are plenty of young people that have helped with the clean up operations going on. As for bringing back national service, I can understand it, and would probably have a good result as the army will take no s**t off them, and they will soon learn if shipped out in wars that if they mess around they will be killed, so taking orders and listening to what they are told will become second nature to them IMO x

[emmie]

SR going on the way many run away when challenged perhaps not.

[DTCwordfan]

I agree with that roxie, the majority of < 25 year olds are reponsible and considerate.

[roxie_09]

Thanks DT, don't get me wrong there are, as seen this week the minority that are little bu99ers, but you get that in all age groups, the young ones now have obviously learnt it from somewhere havent they? x

[NOX]

Another one of Kate's inflamatory threads I see. No, National Service is not a good idea, and not all kids would dream of behaving this way, it's really not on to suggest a whole generation ought to be tarred with the same brush of being illiterate, rioting trouble causers when the vast majority didn't cause any trouble.