General Election - 4th July 2024

[The Future’s Blue!]

If I were 18 again, I would literally go to jail before being coerced into anything. The idea that the state has some right to your time is unconscionable to me.

Even worse, this is aimed at the old to vote it through. What the fuck has it got to do with them, forcing the young into something that they never had to go through.

Then there’s the management of these ‘conscripts’, who the fuck is going to train them, noting the decimation of our Armed Forces?

Fucking cranks and crackpots, Tories at their very worse.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

This my vote lost already. No way my kids are being demanded to go off to the military or such. My contribution to society is the 10's thousands I have paid in taxes , you aren't taking my families time as well. One thing is for sure this soft introduction will ramp up if a future PM goes to war , the volunteering element will dissappear fast as an option straight away.

Your kids will be OK if you’ve got a few quid in the bank. They’ll be exempt due to your status and it will only be those underclasses who will be forced into it or get slapped with some form of criminal conviction, lessening their chances in life and leaving them to pick low hanging fruit or cleaning the ‘exempts’ chimneys.

 

[Blue and true]

I haven't got kids. But if I were to have them, and someone tried dragging them away like a common convict to join the military, they'd have to put me in the ground first.

 

[East Level 2]

Have people just read the headline and not the idea?

It’s not about getting 18 year olds running up hills singing “I don’t know what I been told”

I don’t like the Conservatives or Sunak but any idea that gets young people serving their communities once a month is a positive for society even under the guise of ‘National Service’. Why stop at 18? It would be a start for all ages to serve their communities even by small things like picking up litter or not dropping it in the first place!

It shows the state of politics that any positive idea is picked apart by the “other side”. Both sides should be actively encouraging young people to care about the place they live and the people they live beside.

Why should anyone have to pick up litter dropped by others unless they are paid to do it or are on a community payback scheme?
I'd happily support a scheme to hammer those who drop the litter in the first place.

 

[domalino]

all day Tories have been banging on about Sunaks pledge to give 16 - 17 year olds the vote ...... Tory K does her bit tonight by claiming a fake policy is the first policy idea from EITHER SIDE - the bias is naked and going to get worse

The fact this is even covered as a serious idea is testament to how dumb the media has become.

We don’t have anything required for this scheme.

The armed forces don’t have the people to train people on national service. They don’t have the bases. They don’t have the weapons.

The NHS doesn’t have the capacity to screen people before going into the army, nor does the Police have the resources to do a background check on every 18 year old in the country - meaning you’re going to be arming and training criminals too.

The merchant navy basically doesn’t exist anymore. It used to be 1/3 of the worlds shipping capacity and could take in tens of thousands of people on national service every year, now it’s tiny, representing 1/30th of worldwide shipping and the boats have 1/10th the crew size.

Then there’s the fact that the population has gone up 30% and national service would be for women now as well, so even when we had all this infrastructure in the 1960’s it was to accommodate about 25% of the number of people who’d be in national service now.

It’s a complete joke policy proposal that doesnt stand up to a minutes critical thinking…and yet the RW press in this country can’t manage that.

It cannot happen, it will not happen, if this is the best they’ve got then they’re even more fucked than it appears.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

The fact this is even covered as a serious idea is tearamount to how dumb the media has become.

We don’t have anything required for this scheme.

The armed forces don’t have the people to train people on national service. They don’t have the bases. They don’t have the weapons.

The NHS doesn’t have the capacity to screen people before going into the army, nor does the Police have the resources to do a background check on every 18 year old in the country - meaning you’re going to be arming and training criminals too.

The merchant navy basically doesn’t exist anymore. It used to be 1/3 of the worlds shipping capacity and could rake thousands of people on national service every year, now it’s tiny, representing 1/30th of worldwide shipping and the boats have 1/10th the crew size.


It’s a complete joke policy proposal that doesnt stand up to a minutes critical thinking…and yet the RW press in this country can’t manage that.

We’ve known for years that the media are not there to report, they are there to influence in favour of their rich owners. And what do the rich want, whatever is better for them to get richer and more powerful.

 

[Manc in London]

A desperate grab for votes from those who are considering voting for Reform. Such as evil old people who despise young people. The same kind of people who would bring back corporal and capital punishment. Don't be surprised to see these kinds of things proposed over the coming weeks by either Tories or Reform.

Since 2016, Labour, Tories and Reform/UKIP are all desperately fighting for the votes of the hateful, insular, intolerant, ignorant and grossly stupid in towns (sections, not all) and other metropolitan areas outside the major cities.

 

[Len Rum]

Have people just read the headline and not the idea?

It’s not about getting 18 year olds running up hills singing “I don’t know what I been told”

I don’t like the Conservatives or Sunak but any idea that gets young people serving their communities once a month is a positive for society even under the guise of ‘National Service’. Why stop at 18? It would be a start for all ages to serve their communities even by small things like picking up litter or not dropping it in the first place!

It shows the state of politics that any positive idea is picked apart by the “other side”. Both sides should be actively encouraging young people to care about the place they live and the people they live beside.

In reality it's just an election gimmick.
Even in the unlikely event the Tories get re-elected they would never enact it.
Apart from anything else the cost and complexity of running such a scheme ( think about it) would be phenomenal and if ever implemented would eventually be binned as it got bogged down.
A litter picking scheme for the unemployed was mooted some years ago but never got off the ground.
So while you might think it's a good idea, don't be fooled by the Tories.

 

[BobKowalski]

…

I don’t like the Conservatives or Sunak but any idea that gets young people serving their communities once a month is a positive for society even under the guise of ‘National Service’. Why stop at 18? It would be a start for all ages to serve their communities even by small things like picking up litter or not dropping it in the first place!

It shows the state of politics that any positive idea is picked apart by the “other side”. Both sides should be actively encouraging young people to care about the place they live and the people they live beside.

Quite like the idea of getting pensioners out on the streets and picking up litter. Make ‘em work for their money I say. Lazy fuckers. Always banging on about the state of the country. Time they get off their arses and made a positive contribution.

 

[hilts]

Some great points there and I agree with them, apart from Proportional Representation, you only have to look at Israel to see where it goes wrong, can you imagine a right wind Tory government in hock to Reform? Or a left wing government in hock to the far left, and we have enough extremists in this country to make that a distinct possibility.

Saying that some form of electoral reform is needed, we could start with hold elections over a weekend rather than a Thursday, they are only held on a Thursday because traditionally most people were paid on a Thursday, is a historical anachronism that wants putting in the bin

Not sure using one country to deride a voting system is sensible tbh.