Election 2024: The Conservatives have fallen apart | Andrew Marr | The New Statesman

National Service for 18-year-olds, the Conservatives appeal to pensioners, Labour wins the backing of business – a review of the first weekend of general election season.

"I don't think there has ever been any period in the past when the governing party has gone into a general election and fallen apart in so many directions, so visibly." – Andrew Marr

For the next six weeks we’re bringing you new episodes every weekday, with updates on the party campaigns, reaction from around the UK and the best polling analysis with our experts.

Hannah Barnes, associate editor, is joined by Andrew Marr, political editor, and Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, to discuss the developments over the busy bank holiday weekend: National Service, Triple Lock Plus, 'Sleepy Keir', and the unravelling of the Conservative party.

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[CravingBeer]

James Cleverly called it "mandatory volunteering". The Tories couldn't even plan for an umbrella when it's raining.

[simon]

I live in Switzerland. They have compulsory military service. On the other hand, you get a free university education. Furthermore, people feel a loyalty to the state, as it doesn't s**t on them!

[andy]

I'm not paying any fine for my 18 year old grown son, they mad? I already have to support him well into his 20's because of how the Tories have destroyed our kids future. He ain't doing no community service and I ain't paying any fine.

[jak]

The Tories fell apart when Bozo Johnson partied on dude. They’ve been circling the drain since then. They should have had the guts to call a GE when that idiot was removed.

[JoelJoel]

If it's compulsory it's not volunteering, it's forced labour of legal adults.

[dogzero]

Vote Conservatives for more of this:

1. Highest energy bills in Europe.
2. Highest taxes in 70 years.
3. Highest interest rates since 2008.
4. Highest train fares in Europe.
5. Longest waiting lists in NHS history.
6. Raw sewage pumped into rivers and our coastline.
7. Lowest corporate taxes in 50 years.
8. Lowest State Pension in Europe.
9. Highest Immigration both legal and illegal ever.
10. Destroyed the NHS dentist service.
11. Brought the Brexit vote and ruined the country.
12. One failed Prime Minister after another.
13. Worlds shortest in post Prime Minister.
14. More corrupt MP's than any other party in parliament.
15. Europes longest Austerity for the lower paid.
16. Highest Council Tax rates in the World.
17. Reduced our Armed Forces more than any other G8 country.
18. Highest number of MP's that have been arrested for sexual offences.
19. Highest number of MP's that have been sacked for corruption and Fraudulent acts.
20. Voted to allow Bankers to have unlimited bonus's even though the bankers caused the crash of 2008.
21. More libraries closed due to council cuts than any other modern country.
22. Ruined and destroyed the Train services by giving private companies tax payers money as subsidies.
23. Voted against Labours creation of the minimum wage.
24. Water companies failing to produce safe drinking water due to profits going to the rich shareholders normally in other countries.
25. Trebled the National Debt whilst giving Tax cuts to the rich.
26. Promised £350 million per week after Brexit for our NHS.
27. Promised 40 brand new hospitals of which one was built.
28. Had a Liar and a Criminal Prime Minister, which is a G8 first.
29. And a Prime minister who crashed the economy and increased the mortgages of hundreds of thousands of people but was in office less time than a Lettuce is on a supermarket shelf.
30. The biggest increase in Foodbanks with some stupid Tories even bragging that they have more foodbanks in their constituency.
31. Increasing the mega rich people wealth whilst causing the biggest cost of living crisis the UK has ever seen.
32. And finally, wasted billions of Tax payers money on crony PPE contracts for their friends and other Tory donators many of which made millions and invest it in tax havens.
God bless the Tories. The most evil and corrupt party this country has ever seen. It beggars belief that any working class person would ever vote for these self serving corrupt tories.

[davidrichardson]

Let's just knock on the head this nonsense about the Conservative's claim that their 'national service' is similar to Sweden's. There are about 100, 000 18 year-olds in Sweden and the armed forces conscript just 4, 000 of them. These conscripts are real members of the armed forces, who have barracks, weapons, uniforms … and instructors waiting for them. The process they go through to become conscripts is to start by filling out an online questionnaire, which looks at their physical, educational and personal strengths and weaknesses. At this stage, about 92, 000 of them are eliminated. The remaining 8, 000 are called to one of two centres to undergo two days of physical and psychological tests. At this stage another 4, 000 are eliminated. More or less all the ones who remain are people who really want to join the armed forces (it's a merit, for example, if you want to join the police force, because you'll have learned how to handle firearms). Some of them will later be invited to apply for office training, after around 18 months of basic, conscript training (full-time, salaried members of the Swedish armed forces are all officers). The Swedish system bears no resemblance at all to this nonsense that was announced on Saturday.

[stevecoppin]

what else would you expect from a cabal of bumbling incompetents

[HuplesCat]

Sunak is doing his best. Without parental wealth and a private education the poor guy wouldn’t get a job in McDonald’s

[Jourifouler]

All these boomers literally being born too late to fight in the war, then living through the most favourable economic conditions in human history then getting getting a quadruple pension lock and sending the youth of tomorrow to national service but still thinking that they’ve had it rough and kids these days don’t work hard enough is so crazy.

[tonyaustin]

As a 76 year old, and all the others around me in our ‘stained corduroys !’ we’re all voting Labour! Most of the folk I know are sick to the boots of the Tories….and as for the absurd notion of older people voting Reform…well I’ve not seen or heard from a single one!
I can see people who might be of that ilk voting…for Starmer’because ‘he’s at least English’ as opposed to Rishi, Suella, Pritti etc… there were a lot of jibes about saying that it the Rwanda flights started, the aforementioned should be put on them. There’s a lot of Racism still in the working class vote; I don’t think you guys truly realise just how much it still exists, particularly amongst older actual Tory voters.

[WrenJeger]

If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then the law only exists for the poor

[CartoonrBOY]

'Compulsory volunteering' is the name of a Monty Python sketch?

[stringbok]

Totally crazy from a political viewpoint. Anybody who thinks this is a good idea was almost certainly going to vote Tory anyway, whilst he has probably galvanised the youth vote for Labour. Way to go Rishi, keep up with the mistakes.

[RH]

As was pointed out elsewhere, national service ended in 1960. Most ‘pensioners’ never did national service

[dasmaurerle]

Imagine Labour would've called for a National Service...
Tories: "Communism! Infringement of liberties!" Ya, that's England in a nutshell...😂🤦

[BlastastiC]

This long-form live The Thick Of It special is really something.

[kat.]

What does "putting something back into the community" mean exactly? To put something back suggests the Tories have done good things for the young people. They haven't, quite the opposite, in fact. They took so much away from them over 14 years that our kids now have about as much respect for this country as the Tories have had for them. Absolutely none. Who can blame them? I certainly don't.

[thomasrobinson]

I am half Danish and Denmark has conscription. I have been through it myself. Most young people don't enjoy it, but put up with it. But these young people get a world class university education for free (I got one). Youth services and schooling are second to none. Flexicurity means you can re-educate throughout your life. People care for each other. They are able to articulate how they benefit from each others prosperity. While in the uk none of that applies. There is nothing to pay back into in terms of national solidarity.... I think fptp captures british mentality perfectly. Dictatorship of the biggest minority and screw the rest. In Denmark 95% of all legislation is passed with broad parliamentary majorities and the opposition will pride itself in voting for important legislation.... because as a small country they understand that they fight as a team or get dismantled totally. My point here is this: solidarity comes first. There has to be a country to fight for. Solidarity doesn't stem from conscription. That is just backwards.

[nickbarton]

If Sunak had done national service, he might have got to know some working class people.