National Service for thugs

[Paul Davies 701]

A lot of discussion has been on the TV and in the Newspapers lately about bringing back National Service for these teenagers who are quite happy to carry and use knives. According to the discussion on GMTV I seem to be in the minority in that I think these youngsters should be locked up and NOT put into the Armed Forces. Why should our Forces which I regards as one of the best Professional Forces in the world be diluted with these undesirables. Why should our men & women take the time and expense of trying to train someone who doesn't want to be there. Not only that but would any of you want to have one of these yobs watching your back in downtown Iraq or Afghanistan knowing full well that the only reason they are there is because they were made to..........I think not. At the moment the men and women fighting in the Armed Forces of today know that they can rely on the guy next to them in a firefight 100% because they all chose to be there, it was a career choice and they all accept that. I know a lot of you on this Forum are ex-National Servicemen and will say that your time in the Army was the making of you as it installed a sense of discipline, comaradeship, honour and trustworthiness amongst other things but that was a lifetime ago when you were brought up to respect your elders and a stern word from a copper frightened the life out of you. You could say that those disciplines I listed previously were already there within you planted by your parents and thats all the Army did was bring them to the fore and teach you how to use them properly. These youth who carry the knives have no respect for their elders and no fear of the police because they know that they have the political correctness brigade on their side. They are more than likely to get community service or a fine and they know that so what have they to loose.

All in all I think if the Government does start making moves to bring in National Service as a way of combating the problem this country has with its youth culture and knives will be detrimental to the very high standard our Armed Forces places on itself and how they are respected and even envied around the world

[Keith Jones 989]

I agree because I believe there is now such a deep disrespect for authority among the feral groups roaming sink housing estates that the teenagers of today would not behave in the same manner as teenagers of 20 or 30 years ago, in response to being poked in the chest with a pace stick! The ONLY people to benefit from it would be the lawyers who would be encouraging the youngsters to sue for assault, either physical or verbal. (Anybody seen the report about two Swedish schoolboys suing for compensation because they claim they were being bullied by not being invited to another schoolboy's birthday party?).

I'm afraid I subscribe to the school of thought which enjoys some respite while the thugs are in prison. I also firmly believe that we should adopt the US system of 'three strikes and you're out' in that the only possible sentence for a third offence of the same nature is a mandatory life means life prison sentence with no opportunity for parole.

[5haron]

Parents with no respect for authority or no self respect are unable and unwilling to instill values of any kind into their children have a lot to answer for. Kids who don't know anything of structure revbel against it, yet when faced with the inevitable - no choice - some children thrive by it.

I agree with your post about not wanting the scourge of society in the regular armed forces, but think that perhaps without any knowledge of discipline, challenge and above all of self achievement, a lot of the kids of today are doomed to a life of crime, grime and abuse.

I think mandatory national service should be reinstated and used for first offenders, instead of packing them off to Borstals and reform schools. They really do only learn more "badness" inside and carry rage and frustration over into their behaviour. My heart bleeds for kids who don't know what it's like to be praised, to have a healthy laugh with their parents and to be given structure in their lives.
The parents of the parents of the parents and a society gone mad with human rights and political correctness is not doing the kids of today any favours is it.


As for the Swedish schoolboys, they just need to grow a pair.