Should the British Government bring back National Service to solve its Youth problem?

Question

The rising problem of Youth crime does not seem to be getting better with ABSOs etc. One solution could be that every youth who is not in full-time employment or full-time education should undertake some sort of national or community service; similar to the programme in Germany so that they can start to learn a trade or give some service to those who are in need within the community. This way there would be more awareness and appreciation of others around us and, possibly, less crime.

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

No, because we need a good, well-trained, professional military. National Service did nothing to curb crime or anti-social behaviour.
My solution would be to repeal the Children's Act, give parents and teachers the right to discipline kids with corporal punishment and give the police the powers they asked for last week to dispense instant justice without trial on the street. Nothing the do-gooders have introduced over the last 30 years has done anything but cause an increase in anti-social behaviour. In addition, instead of half-baked political targets such as getting 50% of the population into university, every teenager should have a modern apprenticeship, opportunities for outward bound weekends to learn team building or, for the disabled and less physical, creative courses in music, art, writing, poetry, etc.

Answer 3

This would solve many of our social problems if applied properly. If all youngsters appreciated that at some point between the ages of 18 and 25 they would have to do three years military or community service they might actually come through our education system with a sense of worth. As well as this it would drastically reduce unemployment as, at any one time, you would have many thousands serving the country. It would also be cost effective in that the cost to the Benefits system would be reduced, crime and its social and financial cost would be reduced. But most of all it would give the young a sense of discipline, a sense of purpose and an understanding of the greater world beyond housing estates. It could also satisfy those who are concerned about the influx of young people from the EU as it should be applicable to anyone resident in this country. I served 16 years in the RAF and while I wouldn't like to go through it again it certainly did me no harm and to use the cliche, was character forming.

Answer 4

Absolutely not.

What we need for the future and for all of the world`s children is a proper education.
So that they can understand the world we live in, so that they may see through the wool that is pulled over our eyes and so that they may find the truth.
Knowledge will give them an understanding of the world and an intolerance of prejudice.
Soldiers are for wars, wars bring death to ordinary folk and suffering to the many while providing riches and power for the few.
The world does not need soldiers, it does not need racists and abusers, but it does need educated and respectable people with knowledge and understanding.
Knowledgeable parents, breed knowledgeable children and so on and so forth.
It is ignorance that fuels hatred and despair, knowledge will bring understanding and happiness.

It is so simple it must be true.

Answer 5

I wasn't thinking approximately pacifists.. after all the protection tension has been all volunteer for some years. the protection tension some how keeps making it fairly is recruitment quotas so i does no longer worry some draft. If the financial gadget gets worse.. A Works undertaking administration (Like F.D.R.'s) could be super. that's how we've been given the Hoover Dam, The Tennessee Valley authority, and 1000's of faculties, libraries, stadiums, parks, and government homes. in line with probability they might build those wind farms T. Boone Pickins needs. it could supply jobs, issues for destiny generations to delight in, even in line with probability help with our power issues.

Answer 6

Yes they should, but the way to do it is to utilise currently unemployed ex-service men and women or other people who are shorly leaving the armed forces.

Done this way it will not intrude on the work of the proper armed forces, but you would still get the national service ideals for the young and create employment among ex services personnel.

Also anyone who really shone among the young recruits could later join the regular forces when they reach the correct level of training.

Answer 7

Nah. That's just the yoof training scheme with a military slant. Didn't work then, won't work now.
Of course, you're right, Germany is an excellent role model for finding solutions to youth unemployment. Didn' t they have a great idea a while back, what was it now, Hitler-Jugend or something?

Answer 8

Well crime rates have actually fallen recently despite the media portrayals of hoodies. Forcing disaffected to youth to tokenistically 'give-back' to the State that disenfranchises them in the first place.

No we don't need any state programme to exploit our youngsters anymore than we already have the education system, the criminal justice system, the care system and none of those seem to be doing the trick so why would another form of institutionalisation help??

I suggest you speak with people who actually work with young people and discuss other options to engaging young people more in their communities, to be fair its understandable that none of them want to buy-into this complete and utter bullsiht that we expect them to do with their lives!!

Its very easy to blame young people for how badfly we have thought about them and treated them and its also very easy to come up with knew jerk responses to the problems in our society today, maybe we should also have the national conscription back and lets just kill them off like they do to the young ethnic minorities in the states.

There are so many opportunties for character development just not in school or capitalist employment, and we only offer those 2....and expect to creat citizens?? It is intentional to crush our young people so they don't realise their power and actually change things, that's why all the most enthusiastic revolutionaries and activists and anarchists and socialists and liberals are young....we need to tap into that energy and show young people they are powerful and can make a positive contribution to their world, not just their school or McDonalds, but the whole human race.

I see your point, and more volunteering and the like would be great, but its about encouraging and providing the resource to facilitate more young people doing those activities, not forcing them too, they need to choose it and want to do it and our job is to show them why its so important they do. they have to own the decision otherwise it won't come to anything, just more slavery in a way!

Answer 9

That is bullshit. The only reason why kids in the UK are so fecked up is because of what their parents tell them, and how they treat them, and if you make people do dumb community service, things will grow worse. People will protest. This is one of the problems in the UK. Too many friggin laws are restraining people, and if the government wasn't always so dumb with employment laws, there might actually have been more decent people, with more decent children.

Answer 10

Send back all migrant workers and give those jobs to our youth, they may have more respect for themselves and others then. It might help them to burn off some of that pent up energy. How about stopping ASBO's, put the offenders in the army, train them up and send them into the frontline in Afghanistan or Iraq, see how tough these granny bashers really are.

Answer 11

Yes but only if it's kept completely devoid of any form of political correctness. Discipline should be of the kind that was common 60 or so years ago and women must be kept out of the firing line. They are disasters waiting to happen when they are in the front line with rifles.

heavenlyhaggis