General Chat

Answers on a postcard please
Your opinion matters (well not really)

what nobody abl to remember that far back?

Yah - it made a man out of me!

I was a girlie before I did National Service.

Well I didnt have to do it ,but think it could be good thing shows people discipline
Davex

Yes National service would be good for this country. It would instill some pride and discipline back into this country.

But it would not work because all of the work-shy would all go to thier doctors when they got thier call-up papers and get yet another sick-note.

Bad!!

Those who a generally bad will never improve even with this type of discipline.

Those who fondly remenber National Service were always the good lads anyway the bad ones where always in the jail or going AWOL. (fathers memories, not mine!).

Doesn't make a man out of you as you would have been one anyway.

...and what about the girls, (who are just as dangerous these days)....secretarial school??

No both sexes to do National Service in either RAF RN or ARMY.
or could anybody suggest something else?

Debatable one there, yes in one way but on other hand its sad refection that many seem to need it these days! Still im just Libran & permanently see both sides of almost everything:) So,off now.~

I think everybody should do the initial training. Is it 6 weeks? cant remember now. Then let them decide if they want to join or not.
A bit of discipline doesnt hurt anybody.

I have 3 boys and one girl- who are all well behaved, do not cause a nuiscance and respect other people and are actually shocked by others behaviour.

I live on a council estate, I work & so does my husband- so why will NS cure the bad ones yet my good ones will have to go through the same thing?

Its the parents that are at fault they are not leading a good example.

As for a suggestion.....Im stumped as to the magic cure

This is a debateable one. I would like every school child to do a stint in the National Training as part of the curriculum. I wouldn't mind my three doing it; so that they learn how to wash, cook and iron and be team members: preparing them for the grown up world. It doesn't have to be a punishment camp.
If they did it after the exams were over at least parents can have time out for a round the world cruise !!!!!!
I wouldn't have minded doing it myself
Joan

my lovely OH was in the last intake of NS recruits in 1957 - didn't want to go but was posted to Singapore and absolutely loved it - had a great time, great experience

Joan lol,

You may have talked me around!!

6 week cruise- is it compulsary?

Saying that ,I would miss mine, and I have already taught them how to wash, iron and cook.

Not that they do much at the mo!

How about everybody having to do some sort of public service after leaving school/college etc it doesn't have to be military service.
What do you think??

sounds good to me - work in a children's home, with people with learning disabilities or physical disabilities, working with the deaf or the blind, even working with animals would be good

Nice one there Ann,
We could have something here, but dont tell the Government coz they will only cock it up like they do with everything else.
Paul

Public service sounds good but very hard to manage.

Large area, not enough supervisors to stop them disappearing, no insentive eg a job at the end.

My husband went on a YTS when leaving school and never found a job afterwards because the skills he learnt were not enough. He ended up being a on site labourer going from job to job with no skills. Said he'd wished he'd gone to college to get a trade

Good point from Lancs Lass, there on page 1. I am 23 so I do consider myself part of the "younger generation" but I am constantly baffled by the suggestion that National Service is what we need to "sort us out". Because it usually follows assertions that young people are not responsible/don't know how to behave/break the law or whatever else and that National Service would be a good way to get us to behave. But what about the good kids?

I worked my socks off at school, at college and when I did my pre-degree art course I swear I did more work in those ten months than I'd done in my life. At sixth form, I spent two terms helping a local primary school out when I had my free afternoon on Wednesdays. Since university, I have been setting myself up as a freelance photographer and artist. I seem to have done a relentless round of asking local shops if they will display my business cards, showing uni projects to promote the local area to the council to see if they're interested and doing what I can to make money. I have been to craft fairs - some profitable, others I didn't even make back the cost of the stall.

I'm nowhere close to overdrawn yet as I'm living on my savings and funding the business out of it but I am adamant that I will not get a credit card, I will not take out a bank loan and I will not go anywhere remotely close to being overdrawn. It isn't easy - in fact those three things would probably make establishing myself much simpler - I am determined I will manage on the money I've got.

Isn't that you in the insurance advert Mick ?thought you were STILL a girlie he he.
Know what you mean though,done properly ,national service would remove a lot of kids from the streets,give them a proper trade to come out with,and ,as you said ,Mick,,men would come out at the end of their time.
The forces now need extra men and women,so how about it Mr Brown?.
Did me the world of good,and i saw the world for free.Fred.

My husband did his national service and was could have been one of the MPs that went looking for Lancashire Lass' dad LOL
He went in as a quiet reserved lad and came out as a capable adult Having learned lots of new skills including driving ,which he wouldn't have done in civvy street because he wasn't well off enough to have a car