Comments by "80s Music" (@eightiesmusic1984) on "Is a national service programme the answer to Britain's problems? | Pubcast #19 clip" video.

There is a major generational problem in Britain that has been developing since the 1980s-just because people complain about things being worse than twenty or thirty years ago does not mean they are automatically wrong per se. The sense of entitlement, lack of respect for others and selfishness has definitely worsened. I think it is primarily down to economic factors driven by neoliberalism which has torn society apart, as well as the negative impact of (anti) social media on the way people think and behave, and do not see national service as the answer to anything. There are no votes in tackling poor parenting and the educational establishment is not interested in maintaining high standards of behaviour in schools for the most part, and parenting has largely collapsed compared to twenty or more years ago. There are no solutions because it is too late. That is how bad it is.
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@DJWESG1 I said in my comment that I see no reason for national service. I am opposed to it.
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@dannyeleternity7390 Too far gone. Thatcher hollowed out communities and the sense of the collective that made people better to each other. There was no perfect past and in some ways things are better today but neoliberalism has changed the very nature of how people see themselves and interact with each other over a period of time. There are exceptions, of course, but footage from 15, 20, 25 or more years ago on You Tube or television does highlight the differences in the way people acted and came across. Some English speaking countries are very ' in your face' cultures, and have become louder and aggressive in ways unheard of within living memory. The internet and ( anti) social media has definitely had an impact on people's behaviour.
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@dannyeleternity7390 A generation is 25 years so both. Del Amitri's 1989 hit Stone Cold Sober has a line in it ' whole generations thinking of themselves as infidels and pop stars', which sounds like a comment on individualism and narcissism even then. The reference to infidels sounds appears to be about secularism/ atheism.
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Ending neoliberalism is the answer to Britain's problems. Scottish independence is the answer to Scotland's problems because all of Britain's problems are rooted in the poisonous policies emanating out of England since 1979. Recent research has shown that if London is taken out of the equation the total value of the UK economy is less than Mississippi, America's poorest state in the Deep South. Keynesian tax and spend is the answer to Britain's problems! National service for a couple of weeks as reported recently is a waste of time- unenforceable due to refusal ( even if compulsory, there would be no sanction) and lack of parental support. It is high time for a widespread realisation and conversation about the collapse of parenting in the UK which is causing major problems on so many levels in society- national service is not the answer, especially tied to bogus Tory ideas of patriotism and community. The Tories have destroyed community and they can stick their brand of patriotism where the sun does not shine. Happy Saturday!
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