If found out, would you defend the culprit?

It'll probably be some idiot little scrote who has no idea what it represents.

Similar thing happened in Glasgow when the cenotaph was vandalised on the 65th anniversary of D-day.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/scotland_video_and_audio/8091167.stm

No political motivation. Just an idiot.

I cannot get my knickers in a huge twist without some idea of what the graffiti was. As GrahamS says, a lot of iditos write on things for no very obvious reason.

Similar thing happened in Glasgow when the cenotaph was vandalised on the 65th anniversary of D-day.

Youth of today have no respect because they just don't care. Bring back national service and give them a few beastings and train them the old way to give them a little insight as to what a squaddie does to prepare to fight for the country then tell the PC do gooders to get off thier soap box.

Can we start by taking the PC pillocks first?

Where did it say that it was done by a youth? What's to say that it wasn't done by a middle aged p*ssed up idiot?

Either way; disgraceful.

Port Sunlight and another 😥

My experience would be youth aged between mid teens to mid twentys. Sorry if that rubs people up the wrong way but statistically youths are more likely to commit an act of defacing with spray or marker than a middle aged person. I am only 32 myself but i was brought up in a mining village and taught to respect your elders and respect the dead more so with soldiers who fought and gave thier lives for thier country. Youngsters of today could not give too hoots and I can honestly say that from first hand experience the armed forces are made more welcome and respected in other countries in europe and the USA even the youngsters yet in Britain they try to taunt and heckle troops. I am not going to tar all youths but every town in britain has it's own problems with small groups.

Youth of today Eh? Floggings too good for 'em. Bring back national service!

Yours – disgusted of Tunbridge wells

National Service

Why should the problems of society be thrust upon the over-stretched and under-resourced armed forces to sort out?

The civilian world should sort out its own problems, not shift them to an organisation that generally the country as a whole detests having to pay towards and which individuals only support due to some perverse sense of guilt-induced 'patriotism'.

Sort out your own problems, unless you're willing to stump up some money of course?

Sort out your own problems, unless you're willing to stump up some money of course?

I am, really.

Youngsters of today could not give too hoots …….

What ….. and you think that the youngsters of "yesterday" did ?

You think that 20 years ago there was no vandalism and graffiti ?

ffs

And what's a " mining village" gotta do with it btw ? Were kids living in an agricultural village brought up to show no respect ?

Why should the problems of society be thrust upon the over-stretched and under-resourced armed forces to sort out?

Take a look at the way Israel, Norway, Swizterland roll out thier national service. They manage and they do a damn good job of it too.

Floggings too good for 'em

It's against the law I'm afraid!

And what's a " mining village" gotta do with it btw ? Were kids living in an agricultural village brought up to show no respect ?

It was an example keep your hair on. Now't wrong with people from agricultural villages. jeesh!!!!!

I'm with GrahamS on this one – it's not about the memorial, it's about the pathetic inadequacy of the graffitists, desperately seeking a way of making their mark, making themselves visible, in some way that doesn't require talent or hard work.

Clean it off and you make them invisible again. And go on doing it for as long as it takes.

As a yoof, National Service would have been completely useless for me.

Well, more the other way round- my national service would have been useless for the country. I'd just cry a lot and spend the time shitting myself, like i do at paintball games. It'd probably ruin me for a few years as a person and I'm quite happy to mince about as a student and ride my bike, thanks.

Chances are it was some tool with too much time on their hands who thought it'd be "funny".

Chances are it was some tool with too much time on their hands who thought it'd be "funny"

My thoughts exactly. Probably a little smartarse out to impress. Also gotta agree with the large mannequin. Why not report what it said? Is it truly something so vile that it can't be reported or something so minor that it would make the report into a non-story?

National service does not necessarily have to be with the forces. The French youth get to litter pick and other civic works as an alternative to the military. A good way of fostering civic and national pride without burdening the military with people who are at best uninterested.

The French youth get to litter pick and other civic works as an alternative to the military.

With respect, I think you will find that is not actually correct. Before 'military' service was scrapped in France, there was no alternative to the armed forces. Other than the Paris fire brigade (which is the army) or the Marseilles fire brigade (which is the navy) I don't think there was any other exemptions.

.

EDIT :

"without burdening the military with people who are at best uninterested."

That is one of the beauties of conscription, it keeps the sanity within the armed forces. IMO it is very important to have 'ordinary' guys with a normal and healthy attitude within the armed forces. I doubt very much whether we would have fought pointless wars in Iran and Afghanistan if we had a conscript army. It was the conscripts which played an important part in ending the French/Algerian war and stopping a military coupe d'etat. As indeed the US conscripts also played an important role in ending the Vietnam war.

Ah. I just joined the scouts for that sort of thing. Very good it was too.

Yup, military service is a great idea…………..

1, It takes 2+ years out of the working life of everyone in the country. You would then need to retire 2 years later. Actualy thats not true, make that about 5 years after you've had to pay the kid a wage for 2 years, and pay a supervisor, and pay for £000's in kit.

2, Israel has military service, and what a wonderfully peacefull place that is.

3, Norway's is optional, quite a high uptake, but still optional. OK so it's more a case of making an excuse when the letter arrives, but it doesn't have to be a great one (my cousin went to circus school instead!)

4, Mining villages are renowned for their low crime rates are they?

What use is military service for the average 17yr old? Maybe the bottom 2% could benifit from it, but I bet half of those just come out as the same delinquent thugs they went in as, only now they'r trained to kill!