The idea of bringing back national service to knock into shape teenage tearaways and long-haired layabouts was a staple of my youth.
Peppery comment articles along those lines in the old, broadsheet Sunday Express or News of the World would crop up intermittently through the ill-disciplined 1970s. Typically they would then be countered by the response that ‘the army doesn’t want them’ and the idea would die down for a while.
It is a gimmick from a posh liberal who thinks the plebs can be won over with eye-catching superficiality
It should therefore come as no surprise that a prime minister desperate to reconnect with a long-lost tribe of social conservatives is now proposing a compulsory stint for 18-year-olds in the forces or on community projects.
Rishi Sunak and his strategists no doubt consider the policy a way of creating what Evelyn Waugh once termed ‘a tug upon the thread’ to pull back lapsed followers into an ancient fold.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in