‘Our Youth Would Surprise Us’ Is It Time to Bring Back National Service? | Good Morning Britain

Summary

The head of the British army warned the public could be conscripted if the UK was attacked, as the military is too small for a real war. Former marine Craig thought this was a bad idea, believing we should build communities and national pride instead of forcing unskilled people to fight. But former Apprentice star Ryan supported bringing back national service, wanting to show today's youth are not weak or snowflakey. The poll showed 64% opposed conscription, agreeing with Craig that while people would volunteer to defend borders, conscripting them to fight abroad is very different.

Takeaways

• 😨 The head of the British army warned the public could be called up to fight if the UK came under attack
• 😕 The UK's military is too small to deal with a real war
• 🤔 In an effort to protect Britain, there is discussion around bringing back national service
• 😠 A former Royal Marine said unskilled soldiers would be produced and he'd rather it didn't happen
• 😃 A former Apprentice star said he'd love to do his bit and thinks national service should come back
• 🧐 The former marine thinks the government should build communities and national pride instead of pay cuts to the military
• 😌 The former marine said people, especially youth, would likely rise to the occasion if pressed to fight
• 👎 The former marine thinks forcing people to fight is a terrible idea
• 😤 The former Apprentice star likened national service to summer camp and said young people today are too weak and need to step up
• 🤷‍♂️ In a poll, 36% supported bringing back national service while 64% opposed it

Q & A

What warning did General Patrick Sanders give about the size of the UK's military?

He warned that the UK's military is too small to deal with a real war, with only around 70,000 troops compared to over 200,000 a few years ago.

What are the views of former Royal Marine Craig Aworth on bringing back national service?

Craig thinks it's a bad idea to force people into military service. He believes the government should focus on building national pride and communities to encourage voluntary service instead.

What threat does Russia potentially pose to Europe according to the discussion?

The discussants suggest Russia's war with Ukraine could potentially spill over into the rest of Europe in the future. The UK military may not be large enough currently to respond effectively.

What does Ryan Mark Parsons say about young people and national service?

Ryan believes many young people today are too weak and lack resilience. He thinks bringing back national service would be good for them and would volunteer himself as an example.

What does Craig say is the difference between securing borders and invading other countries?

Craig argues that securing a nation's own borders with a conscripted force is more reasonable than invading foreign nations miles away, which requires a voluntary professional army.

What does General Patrick Sanders say about regular armies versus citizen armies?

He says regular armies start wars, but citizen armies win wars. Implying a conscripted citizen force could be very effective for national defense.

What percent of poll respondents supported bringing back national service according to the show?

36% said yes they would support it, while 64% agreed with Craig that they did not think it was a good idea.

What recent examples of national service does Ryan Mark Parsons give?

He points to Sweden having national service still, as well as the UK having conscripted 17-21 year olds in 1949 during peacetime after WWII.

What motivations does Ryan give for young people volunteering to serve?

Ryan believes many young people are looking for opportunities to prove themselves and gain confidence. He thinks national service could provide this.

What critiques does Craig Aworth have of the government's treatment of the military leading to recruitment issues?

Craig is critical of massive pay cuts and funding reductions in recent years, which he blames for driving many to leave the forces.

Outlines

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🏅 National Service Debate Between a Marine and a YouTuber

Paragraph 1 summarizes a debate between a former Royal Marine Commander named Craig and a former Apprentice star named Ryan on whether the UK should bring back national service. Craig argues against it, saying the government has cut military funding and it would force unskilled people to serve. Ryan supports it, saying he and others in his generation would volunteer to serve their country and stop being 'whiny' and 'snowflakey'.

Keywords

💡National service

National service refers to the policy of mandatorily conscripting citizens for military service. In the context of the video, there is a debate around whether the UK should bring back national service to boost its military in light of General Patrick Sanders' warning. Those in favor argue it will prepare citizens and increase resilience, while opponents argue conscription would force unwilling citizens into war.

💡Conscription

Conscription means mandatorily enlisting citizens into the military. It is associated with national service. When Ryan Mark Parson says "we should look to countries like Sweden as an example," he is referring to Sweden's defense service which relies on conscription.

💡Existential threat

An existential threat refers to a threat to the very existence or survival of a nation. Craig brings this up when saying "if we're talking about conscripting people to send off to Russia or miles from home it's a totally different thing. There's a resurgent threat, there's an existential threat in Europe." So Russia poses an existential threat.

💡Citizen army

A citizen army refers to an army composed of ordinary citizens rather than career soldiers. At the end, the speaker mentions "General Sands just said regular armies start wars, citizen armies win wars." Implying that citizen armies have certain strengths.

💡Conscientious objection

Conscientious objection means refusing conscription or draft into the military based on moral, ethical or religious objections towards warfare. Though not directly mentioned, it relates to Craig's view that "forcing people to go and do such a thing is a terrible idea".

💡Communist powers

Craig mentions the threat from "communist and fascist powers in North Korea and China." This refers to the ideological nature of potential adversaries, framing the debate around defending liberal democracy.

💡Snowflake generation

When Ryan Mark Parson says "I'm done with whiny young people that are so weak and pathetic nowadays they're so woke, they're so snowflakey," he is referring critically to the younger so-called 'snowflake' generation as being too soft and ill-prepared for conflict.

💡Patriotic duty

The concept of patriotic duty means the obligation citizens have to serve their country, especially during times of crisis. Ryan appeals to this when he says "people are looking for the opportunity to join and fight for the country" and that "they need to step up".

💡Millennial stereotypes

There are some references to negative stereotypes of millennials, such as Craig's statement "you have to also think as well when's the last time that Sweden was invading countries on the scale that we do" which questions younger generations' resilience.

💡Youth resilience

Despite the negative stereotypes, Craig also states "I think you'd that our youth would surprise us if it came to it...if we had our backs against the wall there's there's no option but to step up and fight." This suggests today's youth may show resilience if existentially threatened.

Highlights

General warns the public could be called up to fight if the UK came under attack

Former Royal Marine Commander thinks unskilled soldiers would be recruited

Former Apprentice star would love to serve his country in national service

Royal Marine says the government has made massive cuts to the military

Royal Marine thinks people should serve proudly, not be forced

British military numbers could drop to 70,000 in a couple years

Apprentice star thinks national service should make a comeback like in 1949

Apprentice star criticizes "whiny, weak" young people and says they should step up

Royal Marine says invading countries differs from securing borders

Apprentice star thinks there are existential threats from Russia, North Korea, China

Royal Marine says people looking to join the military can already apply

64% in poll said they don't support bringing back national service

Royal Marine wouldn't apply now but would if forced

Apprentice star would apply now voluntarily

General said regular armies start wars, citizen armies win wars

Transcripts

the head of the British army General

cpatrick Sanders has warned us all that

the public could be called up to fight

if the UK came under attack because of

the country's uh because the country's

military the official military is way

too small to deal with a real war with

the prospect uh so in an efforts to help

protect Britain should we bring back

national service would you do your bit

and sign up former Royal Marine

Commander Craig aworth says we'd end up

with unskilled soldiers he'd rather it

didn't happen but former Apprentice star

Ryan Mark Parson said he'd love to do

his bit uh Craig let's start with you

because you've been in the Marines you

have been part of our armed services why

do you think this is a bad idea I think

firstly I think the country offers to

nothing to the people that be asking to

go to war um I think that we should

spend our time building the communities

to build that national pride where

people want to go to war the government

spent the last few years um with massive

uh pay cuts and and funding to the

military so they've left in droves which

has left us in the situation now and now

they've come back to the working class

and asking us to do our bid again again

don't get me wrong if we had the

situation where Nazis were knocking on

the door at at the English Channel again

absolutely everyone needs to do their

bit but right now I think that we need

to leave it for people to actually make

the choice and and serve their Nation

proudly and and honorably but I think he

is sort of saying isn't he that look in

a couple of years our numbers could be

down to 70,000 you know for our for our

British Military and that in no way

would suffice should the Russians decide

to take their war with Ukraine into

Europe and Beyond so um the question is

I suppose that do you think that the

British public men and women uh have the

right mindset in this country in the way

that actually in all seriousness we've

seen Ukrainian citizens have to take up

arms to protect their country do you

think we've got the resilience and the

desire here because we've lived very

safe and cushy lives actually absolutely

we're very much spoiled in the west

aren't we um but the one thing I'd say

is I think you'd that our youth would

surprise us if it came to it I know that

um people always looking for an

opportunity to prove themselves

especially in in the world in which we

live at the moment and I think that we

would if if the time came and we had our

backs against the wall there's there's

no option but to step up and fight but I

think forcing people to go and do such a

thing is a terrible idea think it's a th

line you would actually be Keen to do

your bit you'd like to show everybody

that you're not just a lazy Tik tocker

and a YouTuber and actually you've got

something to offer yeah absolutely and I

think a lot of people in my generation

would definitely be up through it I

think it's a great idea I think national

service should come back and I think it

should be reminiscent to peace time

National service in 1949 where we were

conscripting 18 uh 17 to 21 year olds

and they were serving 18 months in the

arm Services even look at Sweden they've

got the defense service out there I

think we should look to countries like

Sweden as an example I'm I'm done with

whiny young people that are so weak and

pathetic nowadays they're so woke

they're sow they're so snowflakey they

need to step up and I would like to be

example of that I like to understand

what you're saying there now but you

have to also think as well when's the

last time that Sweden was invading

countries on the scale that we do or the

US they're far less likely if you're

talking about a national if you're

talking about securing our borders again

absolutely if we're talking about

conscripting people to send off to

Russia or mes miles from home it's a

totally different thing there's a

resurgent threats there's an existential

threat in Europe we've got the likes of

Russia communist and fascist powers in

North Korea and China we need to be

prepared and it's like General said have

you ever done anything in the past have

you ever done any sort

of we're talking about summer camp we're

talking about real war here it's a

totally different thing it's not a

summer comp to build confidence or

whatever if people are looking for the

opportunity to join and fight for the

country they they're desperate for

people right now we can go after the

show straight down to the apply now to

the Army as it is I would I wouldn't

apply now if I had a choice

but we're talking about conscript

conscript conscription service yeah yeah

national service which is different to a

prerogative but if I were given a choice

I'm doing what I'm doing now but if I

had to then absolutely I would and as

general as general sand just said at the

end regular armies start wars citizen

armies win Wars this is the uh the uh

the poll that we've been running uh 36%

of you said yes you were support it 64%

with Craig said no we don't think it's a

good idea thank you both for joining us

this morning for your yeah protecting

thean