Published on 12, July, 2020
I see this old chestnut has come to the fore again. I can see problems with it.
Does the military want all these people for a year or so and what will they do with them?
If people are made to volunteer for things like life boats, special constables and library assistants, will it mean that the training for such things will outlast the service time?
Will real jobs be at risk because people are volunteering?
If theres no sanctions how will they make people do it?
Will it mean that those currently on benefits will be sanctioned for not "doing their bit"?
Will this idea have mission creep? If not enough people volunteer, will some kind of sanction be imposed?
It all sounds desperate to me, like a political party flailing about to find vote winning policies that are ill thought out.
It won't come in until 2029 anyway, just in time for another election, hmmm?
National service does not work , it's a mark of a failing society and poor rule or govenance, much like volunteering is a signe of economic insecurity and that bad times are predicted , when there is a poor forecast for the economy there tends to be a push for people to volunteer because it does reduce the strength of the workforce by instilling fear for job security by diluting the workforce saturating it with unqualified help that allows the qualified trained and able workforce to be gradually removed and as a result the stress and pressure on the staff who remain in increased and they appear to underperformed which in turn allows for a percieved justification to cut wages or review contract and then the increased pressures of the workplace overflow onto personal and family life , the ability , efficency , safty and standards in most areas where volunteering is prvelent , the wider longterm implications are only ever a deteriation in ability, quality and safty , the hand down lerning and skills gained over years of stability and consistency are very quickly lost ,in a matter of years thinks that have taken lifetimes of dedication and commitment from professionals with specific personal interests can be lost forever and society as a whole will seen a immediat decline from which there is no recovery and the longterm wider implications may be more gradual and appear more tolerable but the severity is much much worse , I do not volunteer, it's as much to do with standards of quality and individuals safty ability to perform as it is about workers rights , wages and pensions , I would only ever accept a longterm contracted position with fixed hours a wage or salaried a floating zero hours workforce is very dangerous to everyone who is here today and to the generations that will follow us .