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(230 Posts)
Sarnia Sat 25-May-24 22:37:36

Rishi Sunak plans to make military service mandatory for 18 year olds if he wins the next election. Those not wishing to join up will do community work one weekend a month. I can't see this being a vote catcher.

Lovetopaint037 Sun 26-May-24 10:07:26

Whitewavemark2

Someone just wondered when rationing will be announced😄😄

Don’t worry about rationing the cost of living is sorting that out.

Lovetopaint037 Sun 26-May-24 09:59:27

Just read the funding would come from the levelling up fund - talking about billions! Money for what Rishi thinks is a vote catcher aimed at the right minded thinkers. This after the provisions for young people have been decimated. I’m with Whitewavemark2, leave our youngsters alone and invest in really levelling up communities and pulling families out of poverty. It’s the old pub talk “what they need is National Service, that will fix them”. If the country needs to increase our forces then make joining an attractive proposition. This is such an ill thought out last minute idea that I might have suspected Truss was behind it.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 26-May-24 09:54:19

I’m not averse to the idea. There are too many youngsters hanging around who would benefit from being made to do something useful which might instil respect for authority. And no, I don’t read the Telegraph.

AGAA4 Sun 26-May-24 09:52:03

This is another attack on young people who will inherit the horrible mess that has been made of our country. I doubt many will want to join the forces and they won't be welcomed there. Mandatory community service is just not feasible for so many. It would need a lot of supervision and busy people don't have the time to look after possibly unwilling teenagers.
Sunak is hoping this will appeal to older voters but I doubt there will be many who will think this is a good idea.

Witzend Sun 26-May-24 09:48:26

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.

Doodledog Sun 26-May-24 09:44:33

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?

MaizieD Sun 26-May-24 09:28:34

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?

LauraNorderr Sun 26-May-24 09:08:48

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.

Freya5 Sun 26-May-24 09:06:32

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

Nicenanny3 Sun 26-May-24 09:04:00

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.

Doodledog Sun 26-May-24 09:02:13

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.

maddyone Sun 26-May-24 09:00:18

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? grin

Freya5 Sun 26-May-24 08:59:21

HousePlantQueen

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

Lot of nonsense.

Nasty and uncalled for.

Iam64 Sun 26-May-24 08:56:47

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

👍🏻

BlueBelle Sun 26-May-24 08:47:21

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

Nicenanny3 Sun 26-May-24 08:27:25

Good idea.

Nicenanny3 Sun 26-May-24 08:26:39

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.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 26-May-24 06:36:38

Someone just wondered when rationing will be announced😄😄

ronib Sun 26-May-24 05:20:09

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?

Whitewavemark2 Sun 26-May-24 04:02:15

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?

biglouis Sun 26-May-24 01:12:06

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.

Doodledog Sun 26-May-24 01:05:13

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.

nanna8 Sun 26-May-24 00:23:09

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

maddyone Sat 25-May-24 23:00:09

It is indeed an attempt to woo the older demographic.

Charleygirl5 Sat 25-May-24 22:59:41

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