National Citizens Service

I think it's a brilliant idea and have been advocating such a move for many years.

Organised like National Service but not a military organisation.

2 Years service but there can be exemptions - ie

If you are in full time education (and attending classes) your exempt.

If you are in full time employment - your exempt.

Other "needs" for such an organisation would be

Training - it is an ideal chance to teach people trades.

Age - there could be different sections for young and older people.

Education - a chance for people to improve thier 3 R's.

The service is not needed to hike up Snowdon or help old ladies with it's gardens, but it could train people to operate the Green Goddess fire engines which work equally proficiently at pumping water out of flooded areas as they do at pumping water onto fires.

Assisting in the fighting of forrest fires.

First aid relief in the event of dissasters.

Helping in flood situations.

Assisting in the evactuation of areas.

Assisting in emergency food distribution.

Setting up temporary refugee camps when evacuation is necessary.

Operating light machinery such as generators for use in emergency situations.

Driving evacuation buses, supply vehicles in the event of an emergency.

Assistance with camps for people awaiting asylum or imigration decisions.

There are no doubt many things in which a non-military, unarmed service could benefit the country and many ways in which they can be trained.

As others have said, a military style training regime would benefit our youth, drill, respect, pride, teamwork, self esteem, character building, educational skills, trades are some of the things military training is renowned for not just for training fighting men.

The idea is certainly worth discussion, polishing and consideration.

But not as a punishment.

i like the sound of that too, a fantastic idea for the format.

whips

ben what is it with your obsession about 'workhouses'?

what is wrong with people who break the law, sit on their arses all day avoiding work, trouble makers and the like doing something that doesn't involve being paid? it has nothing to do with workhouses but everything to do with making a viable contribution to society. also it has nothing to do with being educated. all the scrotes who wreck my property on a regular basis are being educated. there is nothing to say that just because you are educated you won't be unemployed or commit crimes.

it seems to me that you think if a person puts themself forward for the work that was mentioned above it's perfectly fine. but if it was something that was put there by professional bodies and certain people didn't get the choice and were made to do it because of their actions (or lack of) then it's the equivalent of being in a work house? am i getting your view right? because if i am i think it's a silly comparison really.

whips

There are too many things wrong with this although in some way I'd like community spirit and pride that a "military/ structured" organisation brings.

Where do you house or group the people?
Who funds it?
Who mans it, admin/teaching/instructing/maintanence?

I'm against national service or a conscription of any kind for the forces, some of the kinds of things quoted on this thread were included in the CCRF for TA(until the focus changed and moved onto training to support continuing ops), you arent going to get community spirited(sarcasum mode off) people signing up to a home guard type affair for emergancies......again funding.

I dont like the idea of education being available to "them"(general term and not derogatory) in terms of 3r's, vocational, or trade...school and FE is there already why duplicate it and why offer it if "they" turn it down the first time round?

Scouts/brownies, Army Cadets, Air training core, Naval equivalent are all dotted about but need parents nudging their kids into something other than out the door and onto the street because they cant be arsed bothering inputting alittle effort engaging with their sprogs.
Instill some self worth early on.....I also note the lack of decent open spaces for kids locally.

I might not post much but when I do it vomits out of my fingers so to speak......feel free toignore if you think I'm talking bollocks.

thats the problem tho isnt it,Neets are not going to be helped by this,they need far more support to engage,and i dont see why old people will be happy with someone who is being forced to be there coming to mow the lawn.

If it was universal there might be some point,in terms of cutting acros class clevages.

ok respectfully :why should all the kids who`s mums`/dad`s ect who spent so much invested time in... have to do this when they have earned a perfectly legit place in college

i believe kids are like dogs as a rule you start with a blank canvas :
invest in your children and you invest in their future stay in study make uni...... piss off out as one of the crowd who needs an education when i can drink smash up the neighborhood

parents shape and guide kids class has nothing to do with it
last time i looked the minorities where getting better grades because of better parenting simple is my point

its not just a 'lower class' that appears to unemployable but also a 'middle class' who are doing the work of two or more people, in order to keep a salary.

unless the economy is radically restructured we will see yet more people managed out and fewer intake of trainees.

the only prob i can see is its voluntary



make it compulsary i say


fab idea



had it been in force when i was a kid i would of rebeled like crazy admitedly but yet overall i think it would of done me good