http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7995652.stm

How can voluntary work be mandatory? Bit of double think there, Gordo ...

If I was volunteering for something I'd enjoy I wouldn't be bothered to be honest, I've done volunteering before and enjoyed it. Though making it mandatory is somewhat "dictatorish"?

ive always said the uk government is slowing turing into a multi person dictatorship of sorts, and this proves it

lol its not voluntary if it's forced lmao. BUT - That said it doesn't hurt people to do 50 hours, i mean really...it beats national service :P

50 hours... slavery?! ROFL! You spoiled brats. Most countries have mandatory national or military service and you're whining about 50 hours and calling it slavery. Best joke in this forum since Kev left.

Guys...it's 50 hours over 19 years. It's not like you've to do 50 hours a week. That's 0.007 hours per day over 19 years. So, if you do 25.9 seconds a day, you'll be done. I think everybody does that already. Basically have a conversation with a homeless, aged or disadvantaged person for 26 seconds every day, and you'll be finished. Is that really THAT taxing??

Look at this way - he's talking about bringing it in as part of a school curriculum. That means, at an hour a day, you'll be done in 10 weeks. Plus you get an hour off school each day for that. Win-win, no?

its not the hours or anything that is really being moaned anbout, yh its better than doing national service for sure, although in some ways its debatable, but its the dictator nature of calling 50 hours of mandatory work volentry, it shows just how stupid our pm is. also on the subject of national service, that would do more good for the country than 50 hours community service. and if its help with charities that is really needed why dont they consider being a bit more strict with community service orders and dish out a bit more of it than they do now

edit: at doughie yh ok its not huge spread like that but they will do one of 2 things either add that 1 hour a day for 10 weeks to the school day or will make you do it in one stint, 10 hours a day for a working week.

but i think the point here is not the time its more the principle of it

The PM hasn't called it voluntary. That's the BBC's doing. He's called it "compulsory community service". Much like the type of thing sex offenders and thieves are required to do after being given suspended sentences

Oh cmon you guys exagerate... Here you need 40 hours to get your high school dimploma, that doesn't mean they want you to be slaves to have a future... And in the program im in (IB) they ask for over 150 hours...

I thought that if you were the Prime Minister in power you would want to appease the people so that they vote you in next election? Gordon Brown seems to prefer driving everyone away, perhaps he's sick of his job already and wants to go, I certainly don't envy him.

Aaanyway, why don't you make it easier for me to get a bloody proper job instead Mr Brown? Nobody is employing round here, not even McDonalds!

Quote from Kalev EST :

50 hours... slavery?! ROFL! You spoiled brats. Most countries have mandatory national or military service and you're whining about 50 hours and calling it slavery. Best joke in this forum since Kev left.

Get off the forum and get back to work then, quick-smart boy!

well ok he isnt calling it volantary, you got me there, but as you say your self they are basicly handing out a punishment for not doing anything and thats how it would seem calling it compulsary comunity service, it would have been a much better idea to have called it something like compulsary work in the comunity or something like that. i wou;ld have thought that would have been obvious being a polotition, cos there used to dressing simething up under a differant name

edit: lol 5haz, he does seem to like doing that, but then again maybe hes looking for the fact that the people who do actually vote are going to think its a good idea

so what if you refuse to do it? your parents gonna get done for that aswell? like they do if you refuse to go to school. Anyway dont you do like 40+ hours voluntary work anyway before you're 19 if your school is descent enough to do work experience? If its on top of that then its bull.

Quote from dougie-lampkin :

Guys...it's 50 hours over 19 years. It's not like you've to do 50 hours a week. That's 0.007 hours per day over 19 years. So, if you do 25.9 seconds a day, you'll be done. I think everybody does that already. Basically have a conversation with a homeless, aged or disadvantaged person for 26 seconds every day, and you'll be finished. Is that really THAT taxing??

Look at this way - he's talking about bringing it in as part of a school curriculum. That means, at an hour a day, you'll be done in 10 weeks. Plus you get an hour off school each day for that. Win-win, no?

Aside from the fact that that is not how it would be implemented (it's a plan that probably won't be implemented, as Labour are unlikely to win the next election). Let's say who the charities would want. Option A - Me, an actual volunteer (I do voluntary work myself) or Option B - Shaun, some chav swiped off the street and forced to do community work whilst off his face on glue. One has a positive effect on the organization they do voluntary work for. The other, who by simple implementation of Sturgeon's Law will be the majority, will simply turn up having snorted enough white spirit to keep Amy Winehouse sorted for a year. Not win-win.

Quote from james12s :

well ok he isnt calling it volantary, you got me there, but as you say your self they are basicly handing out a punishment for not doing anything and thats how it would seem calling it compulsary comunity service, it would have been a much better idea to have called it something like compulsary work in the comunity or something like that. i wou;ld have thought that would have been obvious being a polotition, cos there used to dressing simething up under a differant name

maybe if his idea of making kids stay in school had already been implemented your spelling would be good enough to not make a non native speaker feel like ripping your head off

It's a vote winner proposal. Not quite national service, like many older voters would lik to see, but close enough. Really what I find quite amusing is that your shocked. 50 hours of forced labour isn't much when you consider you have to go school for 10-12 years!

Quote from Shotglass :

maybe if his idea of making kids stay in school had already been implemented your spelling would be good enough to not make a non native speaker feel like ripping your head off

my spelling has f**k all to do with schooling, and everything to do with being aspergic, i think someone should think before they act, YOU

i do not apreciate being called a school dropout or whatever, goign through what i have in order to stay in school i find your comments plainly offencive

Quote from james12s :

and everything to do with being aspergic

I can't see how this would prevent you from enabling spell checking in your browser ?

well i use opera and dont know of a spell checking utility, but my argument was not about using spell checking it was about spelling itself and that combined with bad typing due to having a bad hand eye coirdination

Respect is what's lacking these days. No matter how long you stay in school or if its 50hrs cs. If you live in a world with no fear of punishment..why worry. I think the cane should be brought back into schools. Work on a method where it is supervised and not abused like it used to be.

Asking someone who could'nt give a flying fluck about anything to go do a little work in a charity shop aint gona make them feel they have accomplished anything. Fer thats what it boils down to.

if i was still in school and they brought the cane back and a teacher hit me with it, i'd smack them back.

Quote from james12s :

ive always said the uk government is slowing turing into a multi person dictatorship of sorts, and this proves it

So.... you think it's a bad idea to teach our kids the concept of social responsibility and the consequences of potential bad behaviour?

Well, pretty much proves how much it's needed then doesn't it ??

If you don't agree with these types of schemes please pray tell what YOU would do to try and instill a sense of community good will in the kids of today, that is all to obviously missing from a very large proportion of them???

People are very quick to dismiss such things but then never put up any (let alone viable) alternatives in my experience.

Quote from gezmoor :

So.... you think it's a bad idea to teach our kids the concept of social responsibility and the consequences of potential bad behaviour?

Well, pretty much proves how much it's needed then doesn't it ??

If you don't agree with these types of schemes please pray tell what YOU would do to try and instill a sense of community good will in the kids of today, that is all to obviously missing from a very large proportion of them???

People are very quick to dismiss such things but then never put up any (let alone viable) alternatives in my experience.

the thing is what really is 50 hours gonna do to people. not much especcially the ones that need it, and its a typical goverment scheme. ok i was a bit quick of the mark with that comment, although i still feel that the level of true democracy is declining heavily in this country

Quote from duke_toaster :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7995652.stm

How can voluntary work be mandatory? Bit of double think there, Gordo ...

Ah, but in Newspeak I think you'll find it actually never was voluntary. It's always been mandatory. You are mistaken.

In other news, Oceania continues the war against Eurasia.

Quote from gezmoor :

So.... you think it's a bad idea to teach our kids the concept of social responsibility and the consequences of potential bad behaviour?

Well, pretty much proves how much it's needed then doesn't it ??

If you don't agree with these types of schemes please pray tell what YOU would do to try and instill a sense of community good will in the kids of today, that is all to obviously missing from a very large proportion of them???

People are very quick to dismiss such things but then never put up any (let alone viable) alternatives in my experience.

No, I don't think it's a bad idea to teach kids the concept of social responsibility and the consequences of potential bad behaviour. I think it's a terrible idea for the government to teach kids the concept of social responsibility and the consequences of potential bad behaviour.

That's the parents' job. Enough of the god damn parasitic interfering ZaNuLab nanny state.

Ok...so as part of the school curriculum, kids will instead of being locked in the classroom learning some equation, that lets be honest your unlikely to come across again, the will instead get some hands on experience in the real world.......and this is a bad idea how now?

Honestly we are only a Daily Mail headline and a reference to an Orwell book before we all break down in mass hysteria, break out the pitch forks.....hunt down anyone who may be in agreement with the government, and therefore by association AGAINST OUR FREE WILL AND DEMOCRACY and kill them all by hanging them up on the lamp posts for all nay-sayers to see and be scared of.

Some people have to realise that "V for Vendetta" is only a movie, and should not be taken literally.

Oh.. this is handy...

Once I've done my 6 months of 2 hours a week of charity shop volunteering for my Duke of Edinburgh award, I'll only be 2 hours away from my 50 hour target