ARmy Rumour SErvice

National Service benefits society, not the army. Therefore defence is deteriorated.

Spend time in Switzerland and you will see it does wonders for society. Then again Switzerland doesn't do a good line in expeditionary warfare.

As to the actual substance of the matter, I defer to my elders...but this bit made me laugh muchly:

"Suppose you've spent the entirety of your working life pushing paper in an office and concocting ways of winning elections - then the heavy wooden door of Number 10 finally swings closed behind you and you're treated to a series of hushed briefings from serious men and women who array before your blinking eyes scenarios of deathly force directed against your electorate and yourself.

Meanwhile, out in the back garden, a couple of strapping fellows are parading up and down the lawn with Heckler & Koch machine guns around their necks, their mission: to stop the baddies scything you down.

Under such circumstances, even the most competent Oxford PPE graduate is likely to feel a little nervous and think to themselves: best do what these people tell me, they seem to have their heads screwed on."

Will Self. Bring back National Service, obviously good timing on his part. Too old, protected service, drug/criminal record. Given the odds, forget the map. I wouldn't trust him to find his own backside with both hands and a wing mirror.

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Originally Posted by Markintime

No-one, certainly not Chocolate Frog has said that. In fact the only person on this threads who has said that is you.

Shame on you.

Why shame on me? surely anyone could see that was in defence of the N/s lads, and as you are one of the arrse posters that have an opinion on every thread that has ever appeared on arrse I would have thought you would have been savvy enough to have spotted that,
so do one I don't need your sarcasm and I'm sure chocolate frog doesn't need you to defend him.

Originally Posted by Markintime

Yes, I do know that but whatever alternative you give, unless it's in the voluntary sector, you are taking paid work away from someone else. You're also only delaying the problem because, unless you can create sufficient jobs for them all to find jobs after their two year stint you've just wasted their time and, even if you've instilled a work ethic, if there aren't enough jobs then you've achieved nothing.

Spread a certain quota of "national service" jobs in areas identified that could sustain a certain number of short term non specialist workers. Delaying the problem ? If every school leaver had to do a 6 month term then there will be a constant turnover of manpower available. Do you really think that installing a work ethic, as a bare minimum is a waste ? It just may go some way to reducing the numbers who prefer to claim handouts instead of working.

Originally Posted by ordinaryforces

Why shame on me? surely anyone could see that was in defence of the N/s lads, and as you are one of the arrse posters that have an opinion on every thread that has ever appeared on arrse I would have thought you would have been savvy enough to have spotted that,
so do one I don't need your sarcasm and I'm sure chocolate frog doesn't need you to defend him.

CF wasn't talking about NS, I thought you would have been savvy enough to have spotted that.


Actually since you don't need my sarcasm I'll change that to 'You're clearly not savvy enough to have spotted that.'

Originally Posted by MuddyOldEngineer

Spread a certain quota of "national service" jobs in areas identified that could sustain a certain number of short term non specialist workers. Delaying the problem ? If every school leaver had to do a 6 month term then there will be a constant turnover of manpower available. Do you really think that installing a work ethic, as a bare minimum is a waste ? It just may go some way to reducing the numbers who prefer to claim handouts instead of working.

Only if there are no jobs available. In the twenties and thirties there was a huge work ethic yet people were starving because they couldn't find work. Without jobs a work ethic is useless.

Originally Posted by skid2

Will Self. Bring back National Service, obviously good timing on his part. Too old, protected service, drug/criminal record. Given the odds, forget the map. I wouldn't trust him to find his own backside with both hands and a wing mirror.

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But he does know how to get himself talked about.