National Service ?

[Csaba's Broon Shoes]

Did anybody do National Service in their youth ?

 

What was it like ?

 

Why did the government stop it ?

 

Surely if there ever was a time to bring it back would be now with the

 

knife culture on the streets , the chavs and all the anti-social behaviour

 

in the UK today .

 

No doubt it would teach self respect and common respect to others

 

If anything it would give the wasters who do not want to work a foot up

 

the back-side

 

Any thoughts ?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/peacetime_conscripts_01.shtml

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_service

[Tynie b]

Did anybody do National Service in their youth ?

 

What was it like ?

 

Why did the government stop it ?

 

Surely if there ever was a time to bring it back would be now with the

 

knife culture on the streets , the chavs and all the anti-social behaviour

 

in the UK today .

 

No doubt it would teach self respect and common respect to others

 

If anything it would give the wasters who do not want to work a foot up

 

the back-side

 

Any thoughts ?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/peacetime_conscripts_01.shtml

 

Agree to a Certain extent...Defo get the wee neds/Chavs into National Service, Anyone between 17 and 25 who are not working/studying.

i worked in Germany about 15years ago, one of the young lads there was being drafted for National Service when he was 19, this would be for 2 years, (Don't know if they still do this) He was talking of coming to Britain to avoid the call up...I thought this was a waste of time, He was 2 years into his training as a Chef, It would mean him having to practically start again after he got out!! WTF is the point in that??

 

 

But TBH, Why waste time putting these wee neds in Jail, Send them to the Army, get them Working for a living, teach them respect and basically scare the Sheeite out of them!!

[Morri]

National service sounds a good idea to help with the problem of anti-social behaviour but have you thought about all the decent lads and lasses in the forces who chose it as a career. Thats all they need a bunch of halfwits with no respect for themselves or anyone else fighting next to them.

I can assure you when I was in the army the last thing I would have wanted or needed was these morons next to me fighting in Iraq!!

 

Don't get me wrong you will help a few of these people to change there lives for the better but I don't believe National service is the answer.

 

It would be unfair on the serving forces.

 

Morri

[Boris]

Surely if there ever was a time to bring it back would be now with the

 

knife culture on the streets , the chavs and all the anti-social behaviour

 

in the UK today .

 

No doubt it would teach self respect and common respect to others

 

If anything it would give the wasters who do not want to work a foot up

 

the back-side

 

Any thoughts ?

 

I don't see how national service would introduce self respect and common respect. Shouldn't these things be taught at school, or dare i say, at home?

 

I agree it would give them a foot up the chorus but I think that there are alternatives.

 

for example, Germany has been mentioned but national service there doesn't necessarily mean joining the armed forces. Social work could be taken instead e.g. working in a hospital, elderly care. Community service if you like. I think that doing that sort of thing would be more prodctive to society than putting folk in the armed forces.

[PsychocAndy]

Aye teach them unarmed combat and how to shoot a gun before you send them back on to the streets. Good Idea:sad:

[kannymann1]

I hear big John Mitchell fi sunny Rosyth did a few years Nat. Service: he had a joab as a tank.

[The Old Tolbooth]

I hear big John Mitchell fi sunny Rosyth did a few years Nat. Service: he had a joab as a tank.

 

You can go right off some folk

 

That was just a rumour, it was a battleship!

 

Can you imagine me trying to squeeze into a flippin tank!!! I couldn't even get into a tank top these days ffs

[kannymann1]

You can go right off some folk

 

That was just a rumour, it was a battleship!

 

Can you imagine me trying to squeeze into a flippin tank!!! I couldn't even get into a tank top these days ffs

 

Heh heh!! me tae J !!

It's just that I remember a picture of you standing beside a big gun and i remember thinking ....."my that's a big 'un!!" (post a few weeks ago)!!

[The Old Tolbooth]

Heh heh!! me tae J !!

It's just that I remember a picture of you standing beside a big gun and i remember thinking ....."my that's a big 'un!!" (post a few weeks ago)!!

Your not the first woman to say that

[N User]

I was brought up just fine and I never needed national service.

 

Just because national service would do some good, does not mean it is the answer.

 

For young offenders? Then I probably wouldn't be against.

[kannymann1]

Your not the first woman to say that

 

I believe ye mate!! and how did you find out my secret??!!!

 

But with respect to the lad who asked about National Service in the first instance: firstly, apologies for turning your post into a bit o' banter, but I'm sure you won't mind that!!

And re: the army/national service in our country nowadays: the kids just have no respect or discipline now, so our defences are struggling and will continue to do so for the forseeable future. Historically, recruits from our (again with respect) socially excluded areas, made up the backbone of the

scottish regiments and i can definitely say these guys were different class when it was fighting for Queen/King and country. Aye we were only too willing to put a gun in their hands, but they weren't good enough for a job wi' the "toffs".

[Maple Leaf]

Did anybody do National Service in their youth ?

 

What was it like ?

 

Why did the government stop it ?

 

Surely if there ever was a time to bring it back would be now with the

 

knife culture on the streets , the chavs and all the anti-social behaviour

 

in the UK today .

 

No doubt it would teach self respect and common respect to others

 

If anything it would give the wasters who do not want to work a foot up

 

the back-side

 

Any thoughts ?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/peacetime_conscripts_01.shtml

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_service

 

I did two years National Service. What was it like? It was brutal, humiliating, enormously disruptive to my life, and a ridiculous holdover from a bygone era.

 

Why did the government stop it? Because it was a huge waste of money and the energies of young people that could be better spent elsewhere. It was also discriminatory. The sons of people with influence always found a reason to avoid Service. A slight hearing disorder, or a problem with migraines was all it took if you were the son of a politician. I was the son of a working man, so my two years of service was a foregone conclusion, no excuses accepted.

 

If you have a problem with youngsters and knives, do you think that sending the offenders into the army will solve the problem? It won't. They'll simply become killers in uniform.

 

There are deep cultural issues with the current problem regarding knives. And there are no quick fixes.

[bill duff]

That was the reason the old man had to leave Hearts. He ended up in the Kings Troop in London and after a year got signed by Charlton.

 

It would certainly restrict them. The thugs, that is

[Sharpie]

I wasn't National Service as such. I would have had to go, but wanted to go so went early and done three years instead of two.

 

National Service in my view was a total disruption to many lives. Guys served an apprenticeship and when they could finally make some money were called to the military where in some cases they were designated to jobs that were neither useful to them or the military.

 

National Service was never used as an adjunct to the Justice system. There were however many young offenders who were given the choice of the regular military, or entering some of the juvenile correctional facilities, or in fact jail. I served with a couple of them who admitted to this, and some who were but never publicised it. The fact is that it did not change them a great deal. The thieves still found a way to profit from others, and the violent stayed somewhat violent. The big difference was the military system. No matter how big, how tough or how smart you were the system was bigger, tougher and smarter. The training immediately indoctrinated a group responsibility, one guy gets in trouble the group suffers, this caused group retribution, and in doing so made conformity easier than fighting the system.

 

The classic example with us in training was an accusation by an NCO or officer that a man had dirty flesh, this led to what was known as a Regimental scrub where the offender, usually after lights out was taken to the shower block and scrubbed with big bass brooms by fellow squad members, I am sure you can understand the psychological reasons, total obedience to orders expressed or implied, and the realisation of any let down by you would lead to a punishment to fit the crime.

 

Would National Service reduce young offenders now, absolutely not, todays society does not allow the abuses that occurred in my time. The army like every other entity is subject to more public scrutiny, basic human rights, and reaonable treatment for all. National Service was probably one of the more democratic systems everyone had to go, the only favours were where you went, some branches of the services being a bit easier than others.

[Deek]

My dad was one of the very last to be called up in 1960. He loved it and eventually stayed for 17 years. My dad was no angel when he was younger and he always said it taught him self discipline and respect.

 

He made some great friends and they remained friends until he died. The camaraderie was exceptional and the army looked after the families (me ,my siblings and mum).

 

Sure he was away a lot of the time, Aden, Cyprus, Northern Ireland etc, but when he came home he always brought us tins of army ration sweets and chocolate. Some folk are easy pleased.

 

If the recession hits the country hard and jobs start going up in smoke I would tell any youngster to join up. The only downside is that you may be killed in some far off land.

[upthehill]

Aye teach them unarmed combat and how to shoot a gun before you send them back on to the streets. Good Idea:sad:

 

[O.J.] Radio interview quote from Marine Corps General Reinwald and a female radio host. He wants to host some boy scouts at the training center for some practise excercises. As follows

[FEMALE INTERVIEWER]: So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?

[GENERAL REINWALD]: We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery, and shooting.

[FEMALE INTERVIEWER]: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?

[GENERAL REINWALD]: I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.

[FEMALE INTERVIEWER]: Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

[GENERAL REINWALD]: I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

[FEMALE INTERVIEWER]: But you're equipping them to become violent killers.

[GENERAL REINWALD]: Well, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

The radio went silent and the interview ended. You gotta love the Marines!

reply | rep

[yvonnejambo]

I think something needs to be done to give young people a chance to join armed forces or gain some skill. I work as a youth worker and the problem to me is not many care about young people when they leave school unless they have done pretty well through the education system and got enough self confidence to go out there and get the job/ degree they want.

Lots of young people who are under achievers at school get disregarded and therefore lose respect for themselves and everyone else.

I do think some kind of training should be compulsory rather than just going on the dole. The army works for some but skills like plumbing, joinery, nursing or IT should be made available and encouraged for young people to commit to for a period of time to rase thir own levels of self esteem.

 

They should have more choices and not just be ignored or shoved into something they have no interest in.

[kannymann1]

I think something needs to be done to give young people a chance to join armed forces or gain some skill. I work as a youth worker and the problem to me is not many care about young people when they leave school unless they have done pretty well through the education system and got enough self confidence to go out there and get the job/ degree they want.

Lots of young people who are under achievers at school get disregarded and therefore lose respect for themselves and everyone else.

I do think some kind of training should be compulsory rather than just going on the dole. The army works for some but skills like plumbing, joinery, nursing or IT should be made available and encouraged for young people to commit to for a period of time to rase thir own levels of self esteem.

 

They should have more choices and not just be ignored or shoved into something they have no interest in.

 

Excellent Post. I too work with young people and have been at the sharp end when it comes to youngsters under achieving as a result of family breakdowns etc etc. When you get to know some of these kids it becomes apparent that they actually do have some excellent qualities. It's just a crying shame that most of the children feel let down and that the system (social services) owes them a living and that they are angry at society generally for "letting them down".

Yes there are some initiatives that kids can gain access to, but all too often they "fail", having seen their parents fail before them. It's a vicious circle, but it is nice to see successes when they do materialise. We really are failing our young people.

[Pants Shaton]

I'm totally in favour of national service for everyone under the age of 30.

 

GMAN (age 30 1/4)

[kannymann1]

I'm totally in favour of national service for everyone under the age of 30.

 

GMAN (age 30 1/4)

 

Heh heh heh! Quality!

[The Brow]

Feck. Right. Aff.

 

Compulsory national service? No thanks. Im 26 and wouldnt go near the army even if my life depended on it. I have no desire to have anything to do with any aspect of army life (especially the early starts:p)

 

Ive never been in trouble with the police, got a decent degree and have a decent job. If I had been forced to do 2 years of this pesh theres no way id be doing what im up to now. Id have been miserable. Why should people like myself have to do something they dont want to do?

 

As for folk saying 'aye stick all the neds in the army' - There ARE folk for whom the army is a way of life, they love it and fair play to them. How would you like it if your career was seen as a dumping ground for societies garbage? People have to realise that the army is a valid career and the rewards are pretty good if you have enough gumtion to get on, filling the army with **** isnt the answer. If you take todays neds and force them into national service how do you think they'll react? Suddenly become pillars of society? Doubtful.

[Maximus]

In a word, no.

 

Great idea, send the Ned's to fight our immoral wars, like there are'nt enough loose cannons out there already (mainly yanks) and what about the decent folk who already have values and don't want to be part of it? To feck with that.

 

 

Had to laugh at the OP's comment about common respect.

 

You think armed combat and military force are a good way to teach respect, you think our (puppet) government's foreign policy is a good example of common respect? No fecking chance I would ever take up arms and fight for this country or it's government because they don't know the first thing about respect.