Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, has announced plans for large-scale military training for adult men, in response to rising security threats. Last year, Rishi Sunak tried peddling his own version of national service, though – let’s be real – it was little more than a desperate ploy to make people forget about a government that had systematically run the NHS, the economy and, the entire country, into the ground.
And yet, hidden beneath the empty gestures and political chest-thumping, there’s an uncomfortable truth: maybe national service – if done properly – could actually be useful. Not in the outdated, military-draft sense. Let’s not pretend modern warfare needs a bunch of unwilling 18-year-olds marching about the place with unwieldy rifles, but as something that forces our generation out of our screens, student debt, and stagnant job prospects, and into something resembling reality.
Because, let’s face it: schools are failing us. Education is now a conveyor belt of exam results, churning out students who can recite the periodic table but can’t handle a mortgage, manage their mental health, or even function in the real world. If we’re all about “preparing for the future,” why do we learn obscure history facts but not basic life skills?
This is where a civilian national service programme could actually be worth something. Many European countries – France, Sweden, Denmark – already have schemes encouraging young people to engage with their communities. Imagine Britain following suit. Instead of Sunak’s half-baked nonsense, we had a system where, say, one weekend a month, young people worked in hospitals, care homes, or charities. Public services, already gasping for breath, could get some much-needed help. And in return, young people, instead of drifting from classroom, to lecture hall, to an uncertain future, might actually develop the skills and resilience that adulthood demands.
Labour was right to laugh off Sunak’s pitiful attempt at policy. But in a world where most of us are disengaged, disillusioned, and disconnected, maybe a structured public service programme is exactly what we need. Not as a punishment, not as a political gimmick, but as a long-overdue reality check.
Of course, that would require politicians to do something useful. So, you know, don’t hold your breath.
“British military personnel prepate to join a humanitarian needs assessment mission to Dominica.” by DFID – UK Department for International Development is licensed under CC BY 2.0.