Should National Service be brought back?
 

Personally not old enough to have done National Service. But my Dad and Uncles did do. Never did them any harm and they all went on to sucessfull Careers.
I dont want to Tar all under 21's with the same brush but (And im going to sound old now) The youth of today seem to have less respect for other people and other people Property. Some places arnt safe Hooded topped gangs hanging around with nothing to do is a reciept for Anti-Social behavior.
In Wigan a Chinsee was set upon by a gang of youths and was killed. Then more recently the poor Girl Killed in the Park in Berkshire.

Hmm, take a stroppy youth and get them fit, strong, focus their agression and teach them to kill with their bare hands.........................

Did wonders for me, I would be in favour!

But it would put HUGE strains on the military!

I did 11 years in Regular Service and did me know harm at all, probably would of ended up being one of those hooded top, gobby sh*ts myself if i hadnt of done it.
Show them how to respect people and property and life would be so much better for everyone!!

Right off my soap box now!!!

Yes.A good way of getting dicipline,respect and an education(if you haven't got one!).Loads of trades and jobs for everybody.

I have no issues with people who choose to take a profesional career in any of the services; soldiering or any of the specialist trades, I nearly went Navy Radio myself, but pushing the Chavs into it? Hmmmm. Still not sure it's a good idea.

Don't kid yourself people - there never was a golden age when youth behaved itself, national service or no national service. Youth rebels. That's what it's always done as young adults try and find their place in the world, rebellion is just a part of that.

Feckless youths have always seemed scary to anybody who has taken on some responsibility (house, kids, steady job etc..)and grown up a bit.

I read an article recently that could easily have been talking about gangs of Chavs going around beating people up and stabbing people. Thing is the article was from 1750.

Be nice to think that we were a more civilised Society now though

Wise words Jools.
Which can't be repeated too often.

im still serving ....... :ninja:

but even the forces has changed nowadays

no short sharp shock

the culture around us has moved on

Just been having a conversation with my Mum about ' The youth of today' ( she says from her aged heights of 31... s****** ) and how disrespectful they are....

I was eloquently asked last night by a group of 3 'chavs' ( one wearing the pre-requisite Burberry baseball hat ) if ' I take it up the @rse !!!!!!!!!!!

They happened to be sitting on a wall close to a local Asda carpark swigging cans from their crate of Carling !!!

Obviously having nothing more constructive to do with their time than try to intimidate passers-by.... and YES, I was intimidated by them..

What a sad world when three yobs half my age,swilling beer, can make me feel this way ! :flame::flame::flame:

Is national service the answer to all the above problems? or is it just a convenient way to shift the problem into someone elses hands, in the hope that they can teach the children the lessons that we and other adults/teachers should have taught them in the first place? are we so eager to offload them into Blairs Royal Guard?

no disrespect intended to the existing forces.

Well my experience in the Army was that it whipped a few boys into shape - including myself. There were kids there (I joined when I was 15 as an apprentice) who were sent there by the courts as an alternative to youth correctional facilities.

It was hard work, they caned us. But it was worth it, I loved it. I learned a lot about myself.

But I agree, it's not for everyone and it's not the magic elixer. The other thing to think about is the impact on the forces by forcing every youth into it. It would take the focus away from the professional soldiers who are in there to do the job when large percentages of national service soldiers will be gone as soon as their time is up.

and your answer was ? :D:D

But Helen, indeed what was the answer! :lol:

I'll get my coat, I'm leaving the country! :ninja:

[Edited on 13-5-2005 by Flanks]

Only if i can have a tin of carling :lol::lol::lol: (scum bags) wish i had been there :mad:

Mate, back in the day, as kids we'd never even think of saying that to somone, if we did, and the old man found out, black eyes would be on the menu. I say, since the smack ban, things have slipped. I know there's a line etc, which is easy to cross, but If i stepped out of line, I'd know about it. Makes you learn respect.

Infact, had you been there, they would not have said a word!

Funnily enough we had this conversation at work a couple of days ago. The main thing we could not agree on was do you make it compulsory for everyone and if you don't how do you decide who does it? Personally i don't think it would work.

HB - bad news that three guys could be so rude, but at the end of last year i got physically assaulted by a 17/18yr old girl chav with a wine bottle and i ended up with a cracking black eye and a huge selling on the side of my head. My brain could not compute what had happened so i legged it (and tripped over a kerb whilst making my stylish exit!!).

Bring back corporal punishment - the kids will then respect teachers - with whom the have the most contact time during the day - and it will follow with them into later life and out of school hours

Dragged this out of the web.......

The cane was finally abolished in state schools in 1987 after a long campaign by pressure groups such as S.T.O.P.P. (The Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment). At that time a good number of schoolteachers wished to retain corporal punishment as an ultimate sanction, but it would be difficult to find a majority in favour now. There are occasional calls from MPs for the reintroduction of the cane, but this eventuality is about as likely as the re-establishment of the death penalty in Britain - although a preponderance of public opinion would undoubtedly be in favour of both measures

I'd say probably 75% of parents would like this returned as long as the punishment was justified and metered out with parental consent

Just my own personal opinion - but feel I ought to add that my 'better-halfs' car was 'keyed' last night - for what reason??? Little ****s.........

I 'ate you Butler..........

Both my Parents were teachers and I used to get Smacked. At Junior School the Head Teacher had permission to dish out a Cane on me (People pay good money for that now!!)
I was have been naughty as a kid but I respected my elders and property.
No way would I or any of my friends verbally abused passing strangers. Was to busy making Dens and Playing Army
:lol:

in germany they have two options

1. 9 months approx in the armed forces on low pay

or

2. 12 months working in old people´s homes and working for the hospitals as porters etc on lower pay


as you rightly say its always a method of pushing the responsability onto someone else, but over here it seems to work. it also produces a team player mentality which from my experience of the UK (iv not been back home for 6-7 years now) is missing

But do they still have Chavs?

I'm sure I'm right in saying that corporal punishment is outlawed in Germany, Scandinavia, and indeed most of Europe, where there's generally less loutishness than in the UK. That's no magic elixir either.

All we can do is try to bring our own kids up properly.

not realy no.
(i dont live in a major city over here´so i can only say what ive seen )
there is always the tearaway mentality in all of us but over here it seems to be well controled, there are two types of police the normal police for trafic and "criminal matters" and social police ( ordnungsamt )

its by no means perfect but it´s a lot nicer place to live.

[Edited on 13-5-2005 by nathanhu]

Problem is, too few parents these days can be bothered to do that. Its all the teacher's/school's/anyone else's resposibility but theirs to discipline the kids. Show me a problem kid, and in most (but not all) cases I'll show you a problem parent.