Would you support National Service?

I felt that if I was taking time out away from my family in order to work I wanted to be sure I was doing something good for another family.less fortunate than me.

Like Iam and Casdon I have never worked in a job just for pay.

We mix in similar circles by the sounds of it Iam64!

Casdon 👍🏻. You describe me ,my sisters and all our friends. We tended to careers where we felt we could give something back. My 4 friends who became architects, involved their companies in social housing, designing residential care settings that were interesting for residents while being safe.

M0nica

These descriptions may not apply to people on GN but a lot of other people our age do all those things I listed.

Enough for us to come out of the EU, have a Conservative government, make it worhwhile building all those ENORMOUS cruise ships and fuelling all those planes.

nanna8 the 1960s hippies are now all retired and in their 60-s to 80, so if they haven't bought a house yet are unlikely to. and, yes, some are still working, but not the majority.

I can think of a lot of people who after their flowery 20s, settled down in their 30s to good careers, buying the house and contributing to their pensions so that they can go on cruises in their old age.

There is a well-known saying If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain. In various forms it has been attributed to Winstone Churchill, the French Prime Minister, Georges Clemencaus, and an Amerian novelist.

There is a lot of truth in it.

In my experience there are more ex hippies who have realised they needed to work to survive, and may have done well for themselves materially, but have retained their socialist principles - it’s we middle class lefties you’re talking about. It’s the always more conventional types who are conservative, and often always were, even in their twenties.

Well there’s no hope for me then according to MOnica’s post!

I’ve voted Conservative all my life.
I voted for Brexit.
We have had quite a few cruises, although we tend to choose smaller ships.
We fly abroad on holiday.
One car is a family sized one, although not a 4 x 4.

Oh yes and this makes me a complete reprobate as far as a lot of folk on GN are concerned…

I buy the Daily Mail every day 😮!

There seems to be an awful lot of us without a brain.

I too am Spartacus - another no brainier here

Chocolateloving gran we are talking populations not indivdiuals.

Me too Chocolatelovinggran

Happy to be labelled as a " no brainer" then.

These descriptions may not apply to people on GN but a lot of other people our age do all those things I listed.

Enough for us to come out of the EU, have a Conservative government, make it worhwhile building all those ENORMOUS cruise ships and fuelling all those planes.

nanna8 the 1960s hippies are now all retired and in their 60-s to 80, so if they haven't bought a house yet are unlikely to. and, yes, some are still working, but not the majority.

I can think of a lot of people who after their flowery 20s, settled down in their 30s to good careers, buying the house and contributing to their pensions so that they can go on cruises in their old age.

There is a well-known saying If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain. In various forms it has been attributed to Winstone Churchill, the French Prime Minister, Georges Clemencaus, and an Amerian novelist.

There is a lot of truth in it.

Glorianny

Whatever happened to the generation that grew their hair long, wore beads, painted flowers on their faces and talked about peace and love? Why would we want our GCs to serve in the armed forces?
Most of them seem far more responsible than I was at their age anyway.

Poor so and sos are probably saving up for houses and working all the hours they can. We were lucky,looking back. What happened to the backpackers ? Too expensive now I suppose. Things are not improving for the young ‘uns.

No MOnica, your description doesn’t fit me or any of the friendship group that began in the 60’s and 70’s. No one voted Brexit, no one ever has or e er will vote Conservative. Our basic principles and beliefs remain a desire / willingness to contribute to a fairer, safer society. Interestingly, our adult children continue this path

Ouch M0nica - I don't recognise me or any of my friends from your post, except perhaps old and tired.
Vote Brexit!? Absolutely not.

I think you are wrong M0nica.
Maybe some - but many have continued to fight for the underdog, eschewed wealth and trappings of wealth and have followed their conscience as far as one ever can.

Glorianny They have grown old and tired, voted for Brexit, the Conservatives, winge abut young people today and spend their substantial occupational pensions travelling the world in comfort with little or no regard for how much fossil fuel is used fuelling the planes and cruise ships they travel in or how much diesel their great big 4 x 4s use.

OldFrill - that's exactly what a close friend if the family has been doing for roughly a decade - except he's in his 30s having spent seven years from age 16 training as an engineer in the army.

They are retired civil servants with fat pensions travelling the globe in their Carthagos.

Glorianny

Whatever happened to the generation that grew their hair long, wore beads, painted flowers on their faces and talked about peace and love? Why would we want our GCs to serve in the armed forces?
Most of them seem far more responsible than I was at their age anyway.

They are still here as ageing hippies but Thatcher came along and the money money money people took over.

Whatever happened to the generation that grew their hair long, wore beads, painted flowers on their faces and talked about peace and love? Why would we want our GCs to serve in the armed forces?
Most of them seem far more responsible than I was at their age anyway.

NS is a terrible idea. What are the armed forces supposed to do with all these young people for 2 years? They don't need cannon fodder anymore. I suppose they could train them to march, fire guns and improve their fitness but why should they and what good would it do the young person who may well have had to leave a job in order to be conscripted and then has to start again when it's over. 2 years isn't long enough to complete an apprenticeship even if the forces could offer enough of them.

DH has seen active service and wouldn't wish it on anyone. If a young person wants to join up then they can but why impose it on all of them.

You might have a bit of trouble under equality laws which did not exist when the National Service Act 1948 came into force and which only applied to young men.

My father, brother and nephew all seemed to manage it and I doubt my son in law will have any problems when he retires.
Some people will be able to but we are talking about everyone having to do military service and in the past not everyone has managed to not have a problem.

Jackiest

^Weapons training can be left behind, not translated into a life skill. ^
But can idea that it is acceptable to kill someone or to use force to get your own way be left behind.

If it’s acceptable for members of our police forces to carry weapons and, in certain circumstances, use them in the line of their duty, why is is so difficult to countenance our servicemen doing the same thing?

The RAF has great training for more than pilots - air load masters, navigators, ground technicians on a range of aircraft that can translate to civilian life. Radar technicians. The list is endless. And ongoing educational opportunities to degree level. My brother in law left the RAF after 22 years and walked into a very good job with British Aerospace.