Would you support National Service?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Me too Chocolatelovinggran

Chocolateloving gran we are talking populations not indivdiuals.

I too am Spartacus - another no brainier here

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

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 😮!

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.

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.

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

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.

What none of you seem to be aware of is that the British army, and other defence forces are frequently sent out to other coutnries to help when disasters occur.

I recommend this link, afma.org.uk/2019/02/21/what-humanitarian-work-does-the-british-army-do/

AFMA is the The Armed Forces Muslim Association

Perhaps all you holier than thou people who, as they tell us have devoted your life to caring and doing good to others would like to tell us about all the times they have put their lives at risk to bring aid to other people in other countries in dangerous and life threatening situations.

As for all you virtuous ex-hippies. I am sure some of you are, but for many long-haired flower power people the 1960s was all about sex and drugs and if that meant sounding a bit alternative, they would go along with it, but you have only to look at the millions of peoplebetween 60-80 who have voted Conservative and for Brexit to know every 60s hippy, or even the majority could not possibly be bien-pensant lefties these days.

I don't agree either

Greyduster

I could have written your post, Karma. Both my DH and my son were career servicemen and neither of them thought that National Service would work these days. Young people are not as biddable as they were in the fifties. I know of two cases where the harsh discipline imposed on National Servicemen resulted in a mental health breakdown in one case, and a suicide in the other. We have a seriously under strength standing Army and Lord help us if we are ever faced with needing to provide extra manpower in a military emergency.

I agree with you both.
Spending needs to go up and whoever has been placed in charge of recruiting needs to be sacked.

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 grew up presumably.
Fine words butter no parsnips as my Nan used to say.