Left, right, left, right!

Probably not. I quite like the idea but don't think it will be popular.

One weekend a month doesn’t equal an entire year’s military service.

Whiff of desperate attempts to appeal to elderly Tory voting Telegraph readers.

Lot of nonsense.

He will not win and no doubt will be winging his way to his other home in America. Surely nobody will vote for him?

It is indeed an attempt to woo the older demographic.

Is he planning a war? What a shower- one doing this, one talking about 16 year old voters. You can keep them.

It’s part of the ‘you will be safer under the Tories’ narrative. The threat of war has been being used for some time now- it smacks of desperation.

Many 18 year olds would probably benefit from a spell in the military or doing something useful for the community, rather than whinging about their "poor mental health" Good idea but it will never happen.

There is nothing wrong with our young. It is the adults that are the problem - making such a s…y mess of their country.

The people that would most hate the idea are the military.

It is a non-starter.

Wonder what the next daft idea will be?

It wasn’t just a year in the military as the other option is a year in cybersecurity. As mentioned on another thread, where are the people to train up cybersecurity professionals? What happens after the year of service? Why isn’t there a proper workforce training plan in cybersecurity? Who is responsible for this daft idea?

Someone just wondered when rationing will be announced😄😄

Whitewavemark2

Someone just wondered when rationing will be announced😄😄

After a few years if Starmer/Labour gets in and the country has gone to the dogs. Mass immigration, open borders, people living in tents and people think they have it bad now.

Good idea.

Oh Nicenanny perhaps you’re the VERY person the Tories are appealing too 🤣🤣🤣
Nothing can be worse than another Tory government for 14 years they have decimated everything that was reasonable in this country I m totally ashamed of us now

BlueBelle

Oh Nicenanny perhaps you’re the VERY person the Tories are appealing too 🤣🤣🤣
Nothing can be worse than another Tory government for 14 years they have decimated everything that was reasonable in this country I m totally ashamed of us now

👍🏻

HousePlantQueen

Whiff of desperate attempts to appeal to elderly Tory voting Telegraph readers.

Lot of nonsense.

Nasty and uncalled for.

nanna8

Is he planning a war? What a shower- one doing this, one talking about 16 year old voters. You can keep them.

Haha, love it nanna8.
Are you sure you don’t want them?

If National Service is brought in it shouldn't apply only to 18 year olds, particularly as it is not necessarily about military service but can encompass all sorts of volunteering. If this is meant to encourage a sense of community why shouldn't it apply to all able bodied adults?

2025's 18 year olds have already lost a lot of their youth to lockdowns, largely to protect older people, so quite why they should be singled out for this is beyond me. Many of them will be hugely financially disadvantaged, too. They already get a ridiculously low 'living wage' and are saddled with fees for their education, so removing changes of getting paid work to help with expenses is a double whammy.

BlueBelle

Oh Nicenanny perhaps you’re the VERY person the Tories are appealing too 🤣🤣🤣
Nothing can be worse than another Tory government for 14 years they have decimated everything that was reasonable in this country I m totally ashamed of us now

Oh Bluebelle Perhaps your the VERY person Labour are appealing too 😂😂😂 naive and living in a little bubble, if you think life under Starmer will be better you're in for a huge shock.

Already a thread about this, dont people read before they post???

HousePlantQueen

Whiff of desperate attempts to appeal to elderly Tory voting Telegraph readers.

Lot of nonsense.

Well here is an elderly Tory voting Telegraph reader who finds the idea very unappealing.
As has been said there is nothing wrong with our youth, the vast majority are decent, hard working and ambitious.
I’d like to see a scheme where equally decent and hardworking youth in deprived situations are given the opportunity to be ambitious.
Something between a youth club, scouting and a boot camp where life skills can be acquired such as basic mechanics, cookery, sewing, budgeting, photography, creative writing and so much more.
Financial input for venue and materials would hopefully draw out volunteers from within and from outside these struggling communities.
I am not being judgemental but it is a fact that most problems grow from the most deprived communities of disaffected youth drawn to gangs, drugs and violence.
Maybe if our youth were encouraged to have pride in themselves and their country they would volunteer to fight for it if the time ever came.

Something between a youth club, scouting and a boot camp where life skills can be acquired such as basic mechanics, cookery, sewing, budgeting, photography, creative writing and so much more.
Financial input for venue and materials would hopefully draw out volunteers from within and from outside these struggling communities.
I am not being judgemental but it is a fact that most problems grow from the most deprived communities of disaffected youth drawn to gangs, drugs and violence.
Maybe if our youth were encouraged to have pride in themselves and their country they would volunteer to fight for it if the time ever came.

Do you mean the sort of thing that Local Authorities could have been running if they hadn't been stripped of funds by the tories from Thatcher onwards?

Freya5

Already a thread about this, dont people read before they post???

I always read threads before posting, but no, I don't check every single thread in every forum to see if the topic has already been covered. Does anyone?

HousePlantQueen

Whiff of desperate attempts to appeal to elderly Tory voting Telegraph readers.

Lot of nonsense.

I wouldn’t have thought they’d need any inducement to vote Tory.