‘Mum! They’re going to make us go into the Army at 18 ,’ my 15-year-old said while she was lying on my bed, browsing ASOS, clearly disgusted at the news. As much as I wanted to tell her that the idea of bringing back National Service is just another desperate gimmick from Rishi Sunak as he tries to court the old-fashioned right-wing brigade, I was tempted to say I’d already put her name on the waiting list. My daughters, who are 12 and 15, are the kind of kids who are so pampered, they refused to leave London for a trip to the countryside.
They couldn’t live without their hair straighteners, so no wonder they’re horrified by the idea of a year in the military. I’ll be the first to concede that they could benefit from learning how to work in a team, self-discipline and tidiness, but there are other ways to do that, which don’t involve joining a regiment. National Service was originally a post-war scheme that meant physically fit men between 17 and 21 had to serve in the armed forces for 18 months.
The Tories’ announcement that they want to bring it back is supposed to get older voters’ juices flowing just in time for the ‘Genny Lex.’ Anyone with common sense will argue that the military aspect of National Service is a billion-pound waste of money. Former naval chief Adm Alan West has described the plan as ‘bonkers’; Labour leader Keir Starmer branded the idea of a ‘teenage dad’s army’, ‘desperate’.
Not sure what to make of the General Elec.
