PUBLIC & MILITARY NATIONAL SERVICE IN THE 21st CENTURY
January 20, 2008 by 
News Team)
Filed under Scottish Secretary
THE WAY FORWARD
This article, I hope, will re-affirm that not only is it possible, but that it is essential to re-introduce National Service in a public and military role. Of course the left-wing liberal politically correct media and supporters will no doubt froth at the mouth and chew the carpet at this suggestion, but if we as a nation are seriously going to tackle anti-social behavour, crime, homelessness, drugs and unemployment, and build a future for our young people, I believe that National Service is the way forward.
A BRIEF HISTORY
National Service was introduced in 1939 and continued after the Second World War. It was formalised in peace time by the National Service Act 1948 and from January 1st 1949 every man over the age of eighteen was expected to serve in the armed forces for 18 months and remain on the reserve list for four years thereafter. This was extended to two years in 1950 and the reserve period reduced by 6 months.
National Service officially ended on 31st December 1960, though the last man to be discharged was Lt Richard Vaughn of the Royal Pay Corps on the 13th May 1963.
The Territorial Army and other reserve forces, in which National Servicemen enlisted to fulfil their reserve commitment, expanded massively between 1949 and 1963 with units in almost every town and full Regiments and Battalions in many of them.
Today, recruitment for Regular and Territorial Army is at an all time low. Very few Regiments and Battalions remain following their ridiculous amalgamations into so-called Super Regiments, that have swept away centuries of history and tradition.
TODAY
Twenty-five countries in Europe have conscription in various forms; thirty countries have National Youth Service, which is a civilian form of National Service.
Young men and women serve usually a period of one year in a variety of public and social services or in conservation and environmental programs.
In this country, we place sixteen year olds in bed and breakfast hotels after leaving care, with very little if any support.
Scotland has 35,000 young people between sixteen and nineteen years of age not in education or employment.
In England and Wales more than 1000 young men between eighteen and twenty years of age are sent to prison every month at a cost of £35,000 each per year.
The Howard League for Penal Reform report studied this group of offenders and concluded that young men had high offending and re-offending rates, but that this was largely unaffected by initiatives to cut crime.
Report author Finola Farrant said, “Sending these young men to prison does virtually nothing to ensure that they will live crime free lives on release”. She added that prison could make their re-offending “all the more predictable”.
When asked what would help these young men stop committing crime, 55% of those who took part in the reports survey said, “Getting a decent job”, and 25% said, stable housing and home life would help. National Service could offer this by providing regular income and giving structure to their lives, with role models that for many will act as father figures.
Every month, thousands more young men from the world’s most violent countries are pouring into our over crowded island. Labour and Tory Government encouragement of uncontrolled immigration, disintegration of the family unit and soft sentencing in of criminals has led to the end of effective restraints on the behaviour of many youths.
Only a concerted effort from the State can tackle this, but the political will to do so is lacking today. A British National Party Government would not be found lacking in its determination to tackle these issues.
THE FUTURE?
Who would be called up?
Young people (male and female) aged between 18 and 23 years.
Any one living in this country who has been awarded British citizenship in that age group, no matter which religion or culture.
Who would be exempt?
Those in full-time education.
Those in public service employment, Fire, Police, HHS etc.
Those in work related training (apprentices).
This country has the highest level of teenage pregnancies in Europe, the highest level of house break-ins (800,000+ in 2005), the highest level of anti-social behaviour, vandalism, binge drinking, the list goes on and on.
National Service could combat this by instilling discipline and respect in the youngsters, supply the most neglected with decent accommodation and three square meals a-day, give training for a trade, further education, and give much needed life and leadership skills to those without direction and confidence at present.
For those who break the law during their service, hard labour handed down by a military court free from political correctness would be the order of the day.
After a period of basic training, those most suited to Military Service, would be able to free up regular troops for front line service, and many as before will become regular servicemen themselves, and later, reservists after their National Service is completed.
Those not suited to military life can opt for Public Service, which will be involve work in the National Health Service and provide manpower to local authorities and other sectors where they can contribute to the improvement of public life like working in care homes (as in Germany), cleaning and maintaining beaches and public parks and clearing up the inner cities.
CONCLUSION
The choice is simple, carry on as we are and allow further decades of soft liberalism that is deconstructing our once moral society or re-introduce National Service and give our young people and our country the prospect of better future.
The cost to the country of having National Service would be offset by the savings from a greatly reduced crime rate and prison numbers, benefit claiming, the need for social workers, and probation officers, the cost to councils of clearing up and repairing vandalism etc. Our nation would also benefit for the added labour, skills and talent of our youth in every field they serve in.
Its introduction, would also make the BNP Government policy of voluntary repatriation, much more appealing to the huge percentage of Muslims, who don’t tick any of the exemption boxes, and would be called up along with thousands of other immigrants who have flocked to our shores.
Gary Raikes
BNP Scottish Secretary
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