Conscription Is On The Table

[Khandro]

Rishi's plan to bring it back;

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1903634/UK-Army-conscription-National-Service-announcement-Rishi-Sunak

Would you welcome it ?

[diddlydo]

This is Rishi signing his own death warrant! What an absolutely ludicrous idea - he must be really p****d off with the job.

[barry1010]

No.  Our armed forces are not there to babysit 18 year olds and I can foresee a raft of claims of bullying, personal injury, psycholigical torture and unreasonable hardship because they have to sleep in a dorm. 

[Mozz71]

Put that hand-in-hand with the other thread advocating the raising of the minimum voting age, and there's a nice double whammy there.

 

"Off you go to the army boys and girls, you have no say in it and no ability to change it if we get our way."

[davebro3]

oh dear - straws being clutched at

[sandyRoe]

Some might say the young have had things too easy for too long and a year spent square bashing is just what they'd need to show them the reality of adulthood.

That's not a thought I'd agree with.

[barry1010]

That's how it was until 1969, Mozz.  All those young people off to war, or volunteering for the armed forces after 1944 and couldn't vote.

[david small]

Shooting oneself in the foot springs to mind. Ain't going to happen.

[barry1010]

I do think that many young people don't mature as quickly as they used to, living like teenagers well in to their mid 20s.

[davebro3]

it went in 1960 barry not 1969 - I missed it

[Mozz71]

I know Barry, but times are different. The second world war was still fresh in everybody's mind back in the Sixties. We were in the middle of the Cold War. 

If there is another world war today, foot soldiers aren't going to make a lot of difference.

[Old_Geezer]

Just when Starmer tries to lose the upcoming election by announcing "votes for kids" policy, Sunak tries to counter with a "State demands on individuals in peace time" policy. Maybe both are hoping to take their party out of mainstream politics for a while.

 

No welcome, quite the contrary; it's an imposition without justification, the sort of thing more associated with dictatorships & tyrany than it is with cultures who value an individual's rights.

[Old_Geezer]

Interesting comment Barry. On another thread some are saying they mature faster so it's more appropriate to lower voting age. Surely it can't be both ? Maybe it's just that at that age folk think they are mature but learn later that they weren't after all.

[Khandro]

Like so many of Rishi's ideas it hasn't been thought through. For one thing, the actual practicalities of carrying out such a project, it would need thousands of 'sergeant-majors' instructors.

Another; how do you discipline and punish a bolshie, enforced recruit, who is only there for a short few days at a time?

[gulliver1]

Will this include all the 18 Year old boat people. Is this the start of it.

[Gromit]

Sunak really is doing his best to lose the election. That's the first time voters alienated. The youth are notorious for their apathy, but now they have something to vote against, it might getting them into a polling booth.

[Gromit]

A conscripted armed forces are a severely weakened armed forces. At the moment we have professionals. If you fill it with unmotivated amateurs, you dilute its effectiveness.

[gramps85]

Back in the day all males on reaching the age of 18 were liable to be conscripted into the armed forces for 2 years. When National Service was ended it was decided by the government that anybody born from September 3rd 1939 (the day war was declared) would be exempted.

Some National Serviceman served in Korea and the Suez Crisis.

After my 6 weeks basic training in Winchester I was shipped over to Germany to serve the remainder of my service.

I think it turned me from a scruffy 18 year old to someone who respected authority and the law. It made me realise that life had a lot ot offer.  It taught me about comradeship and we looked after one another.  I had a trade when I went in but there were some who didn't, but on demob had learned a skill that would enable them to get on in life.

Of course there were some that didn't like it and tried to be a rebel, but were soon bought into line and managed to complete their time and come out a better person.

I think it would help the youth of today become better persons.

[gramps85]

Gromit 08.59  As I said in my post many conscripted soldiers fought in Korea and The Suez Crisis. Their presence most certainly did not dilute the effectiveness of the ability to defend this country.

And remember the majority of those who fought in World War 2 were conscripted.  I think their presence speaks for itself!

[Peter Pedant]

This is Rishi signing his own death warrant! What an absolutely ludicrous idea 

yeah agreed

conscription was ended 1960 as it was recognised that the Army was an army and not en employment agency or finishing school - and that when it was for 18 mo

this is 25 d a year !

or service - but  even the NHS wants trained staff ( no matter what colour)...

last call of a busted flush

[Peter Pedant]

I think it turned me from a scruffy 18 year old to someone who respected authority and the law.

by 1960 they recognised that this idea did NOT get up and run