jimmydoreisaleftyMay 26, 2024

UK’s Sunak promises mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if elected [26 May 2024 | Al Jazeera]

https://lemmy.world/post/15826551

UK’s Sunak promises mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if elected [26 May 2024 | Al Jazeera] - Lemmy.World

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15826549 [https://lemmy.world/post/15826549] > >Ruling Conservative Party says it will bring back national service if it wins the July 4 general election. > > >Eighteen-year-olds will have to perform a mandatory national service if the Conservative Party is voted back to power in the United Kingdom’s July 4 election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced. > > >The prime minister’s plan would entail young people being given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year volunteering in their community, the party said.

Show threadccunningMay 26, 2024

Maybe I’m missing something. In fact I’m sure I am as I don’t follow UK politics closely at all. Mostly what I know is from scrolling past headlines like this one.

Confusing thing #1: My understanding is the Conservative (Tory?) party is struggling so the PM called for a “snap” election.

If you’re not doing great, wouldn’t it make more sense to try and weather the storm and work to make things sunnier before the next election rather than call for an election amidst the storm?

Confusing thing #2: If you are in said storm and now looking down the barrel of an election, wouldn’t that be the opposite of the time you would want to announce your unpopular policy ideas?

This really sounds like someone who is trying to get fired instead of quit.

So what am I missing?

Show threadDrCake
You’re missing that they are just incompetent and awful at politics
May 26, 2024 at 12:07pmWeb
Show threadccunningMay 26, 2024

But haven’t they been in power for like 10 years or something?

That may be more of a condemnation of their opposition than of them…

Show threadDrCakeMay 26, 2024
It partly is but also that they’ve just ran out of “talent” anyone who was any good was there at the start and they’ve just not been able to replace them.
Show threadrichmondezMay 27, 2024
More like actively removed them for yes men at the last election because the competent ones opposed brexit. The current administration is more a populist brexit party than a traditions Conservative platform.