Made sense when we had an empire full of savages to save from their own stupidity and build no strings attached railways for them 😆 except “most” (yes not all) of them got sick of it and violently opposed us carrying on as we were for some reason!

The whole things laughable and the kind of tripe you hear from pensioners living in bygone age.

totalshell – Member

public service for the unemployed under 25’s is a good call.. hospital portering, cleaning, carer support, casualty security, fire and rescue service, ambulance service ( maintaining vehicles work places etc) school crossing patrols, school janitors

Good idea, let’s make all the hospital porters, cleaners, carer supporters, casualty security guards , fire and rescue servicemen, ambulance services ( maintaining vehicles work places etc) school crossing patrols, and school janitors unemployed, then make other people who don’t want to do it, do it instead.

If only there was some kind of organised national system of activities for the young that could give them the same skills and attitude that national service supposedly instills. We could make it a legal requirement that all kids aged 5 to 18 have to attend for 30 hours or so evey week.

i thought Mark E Smith was sorting him out?

Man born into life of luxury and privilege wants kids to be press-ganged into the military?

that’s clearly the answer 🙄

[video]https://youtu.be/G0ZZJXw4MTA[/video]

Confirms my opinion that Harry is a total cheb end. Always good to get input on what should be done with the mainstream youth in the UK from one of the most cosseted and entitled people in the country, whose life has been full of opportunity and privilege.

****!

Excellent idea which sadly is unlikely to happen.

.

National service belongs in the past , as does the monarchy.

The sooner we adopt the French attitude to the monarchy, the better, as we’d no longer have to listen to drivel like this

http://www.france24.com/en/20150126-poll-80-percent-french-want-return-national-service-military-conscription

Obviously the attention seeking grandson of mrs windsor wants some media attention, just like his fool of a dad got. Neither of which have ever had a proper job,had debts or a real life yet tell the rest of society what we should be doing, back to your jewel covered palace for you both.

“France needs powerful tools to help promote integration, mix young people of different social backgrounds and levels, and to instil Republican values and national cohesion”.

What better way to promote harmony and understanding than to potentially get your brains blown out for your country?

Best leave that stuff to the professionals who want to be there.

Or the drones.

To be fair, the main thrust of what he said is that he thought being in the services did him some good. As it happens I’d say the same myself about me. And I’ve never lived in a palace! I too think others might well benefit from the experience too.

I wish there had been some sort of national service when I left school.

I like the idea of it not just being military as I fully agree with it being a waste of time for those who do not want to be there but putting people into a public service type role – fire, police, coastguard, hospitals, military, education etc could help focus school leavers and would probably be beneficial to both those going to uni and those who aren’t. Personally I would have chosen the military as my biggest regret it choosing to go back to Uni for a phd when i was offered an EO role in the RAF.

To be fair, the main thrust of what he said is that he thought being in the services did him some good. As it happens I’d say the same myself about me

Which is fine.

Personally I would have chosen the military as my biggest regret it choosing to go back to Uni for a phd

An important word used twice!

I wish there had been some sort of national service when I left school.

There are any number of volunteering opportunities available for those who feel they need some shaping of their character.

When I left education, I got a job.

Presumably those who support the idea would be happy to take part?

I support compulsory military service, but only because I don’t trust professional armies.

ernie_lynch – Member
I support compulsory military service, but only because I don’t trust professional armies.

How many armies, though? Surely that’s the question. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

There are any number of volunteering opportunities available for those who feel they need some shaping of their character.

As someone who now spends the majority of him time dealing with people between 16 & 18yrs old could I respectfully suggest that not all folk of that age are particularly good at appreciating what they need, despite what they think at the time. Those that ‘feel’ anything other than their own groin are probably the least in need of help!

Presumably those who support the idea would be happy to take part?

I would presume that a considerable chunk of those that think its a good idea probably have (experienced the military in their youth, though the number who did it as national service is dwindling now), that’s why they appreciate what service life can do for you. Most who have not, understandably, have a very hazy understanding and make rather wild assumptions – it’s quite funny sometimes, I blame the movies.

I’m not in the compulsion camp for the good reasons many have described and it’s not for everybody. But at the same time there are plenty that could benefit but would never do so without a push, which is a shame.

Never happen. The govt (and the previous one) seem to think the TA should do it all 😆

I can’t see there ever being an acceptable way of having compulsory military service. A kind of civilian service corps without the stabby shooty stuff could be done I suppose but how without it affecting people currently employed to do the stuff which could be taken on; I don’t know.

I’ve long thought that NATO should have a rotation for units to do the non war stuff like natural disasters, anti poaching, even construction in areas that need it. The Uk could even have their own dedicated organisation supported by the military for the shooty stuffs. Pie in the sky I’m afraid.

current David Cameron plan for Natioan Citzenship Scheme

2013 cost
]The Office for Civil Society spent £62m, almost half its total budget, on the National Citizen Service in the year to March 2013,[/[/i]quote]

brief overview
National Citizen Service (NCS) is a voluntary personal and social development programme for 16 and 17-year olds in England.[1] It was piloted in 2011.

The scheme takes place in the spring, summer or autumn coinciding with school holidays. Groups of 60 teenagers undertake a residential visit to an activity centre for an Outward Bound–style course in the countryside involving hiking and team-building activities. This typically lasts for three weeks in the summer, or 4–5 days in the autumn and spring version. After this volunteers undertake a residential week of volunteering work. Finally participants undertake a series of day trips at home and create a community-based project to raise awareness of a particular issue. Those completing the course receive a certificate.

wrecker – Member

I can’t see there ever being an acceptable way of having compulsory military service.

There could be, if there was some need. But the entire british armed forces consist of 184000 people including reservists, so exactly what they’d do with 4 times that many kids on national service, every year, who knows.

I don’t really agree with making people train to kill others if they don’t want to (as every single member of the armed forces is, from chefs to the posties). It would have a negative effect on the forces too.

The govt would never agree to it in a million years, the pension fund alone would be unmanageable.

If you’re talking WW3, then that’s an entirely different proposition.

Deleted.

I wish there had been some sort of national service when I left school.

The armed forces existed when you left school, you chose not to sign up, live with that choice.
Don’t force others to do something you didn’t bother to do yourself.

I wish occasionally that I had made the choice of a short service commission – would have taught me a lot. Ended up in Tokyo instead! A different lesson altogether!

Best, (and worst) 12yrs of my life in the Army.

kelvin – Member

The armed forces existed when you left school, you chose not to sign up, live with that choice.
Don’t force others to do something you didn’t bother to do yourself.

Eggsactly.

To be fair, the main thrust of what he said is that he thought being in the services did him some good. As it happens I’d say the same myself about me. And I’ve never lived in a palace! I too think others might well benefit from the experience too.

Going to uni did me a lot of good and others would probably benefit from doing the same. I wouldn’t make it compulsory, though.

If nothing else, Harry’s family do seem to have accumulated a lot of medals:

National Service? In a miltary where numbers are constantly being cutback, who’s going to train these people?

Re-employ ex-instructors? That costs. Clothing and equipment? That costs. Boost admin and HR? That costs

I understand the sentiment but it doesn’t stand scrutiny. The military is way more technical than it was in the 1950s and two years (as it was then) just about gives you a reasonable skill level at which point you leave
You could make everyone join the TA, one evening a week and the odd weekend only

…missed a bit…to maintain their skills, in a similar way to the Israeli military, for a further few years, but that’s a massive commitment by all concerned

^Is that 2 of the 3 generations of a family that have lived on benefits? As mentioned by A Blair and ID Smith.

I understand the sentiment but it doesn’t stand scrutiny.

To be honest I don’t think anyone thinks it does, Harry included. I think most understand that logistically it is a complete non starter so that’s not a particularly interesting thing to debate. The more interesting issue to debate is if some sort of theoretically compulsive period of time for all at the beginning of your adult life that involved some sort of instilling of discipline and public duty would be a good thing or both for the nation and the individual. A sort of right of passage into society as an adult.

Personally in the right context it would seem a good thing (though I acknowledge logistically it’s a non starter). I’d also have all folk doing jury service on receipt of their first pension payment relieving the working population of the duty and bringing back a sort of judgement by your elders element to society.

Yeh, just what the fire service needs. More unmotivated, disinterested five year service firefighters.

Despite what some people think the fire service has evolved into a highly professional public service covering everything from fire, road accidents, hazmat, rescues from height, trauma care, marauding terrorist response etc etc.

But what we really need is people who don’t give a flip joining our ranks.

P.s anyone who voted in the Tories – well I hope you never require a public service again.

We do its called the retained fire service, need some holiday money, big credit card bill? Well start a fire in your local area and get a turn out fee

If you genuinely believe that, I think you may have a somewhat inflated view of how much we get paid to do the same job as our wholetime colleagues!

The more interesting issue to debate is if some sort of theoretically compulsive period of time for all at the beginning of your adult life that involved some sort of instilling of discipline and public duty would be a good thing or both for the nation and the individual.

Don’t we have that already? We call it “school”.

Should there be cash/time made available for schools to take kids on outward bound courses, and to get involved with the local community? Yes.

Should we spend money on delaying young adults from getting on with their lives? No.

Sadly, the “schools as exam factories” approach that we seem to be heading down is removing opportunities for experiencing a wider curriculum.