For the life of me I don't understand why Rishi Sunak decided that proposing universal national service in the midst of a campaign for his life would be a good idea. 

Perhaps he has some poll that told him that doing so was smart, but given the Tories' recent political decisions it seems more likely that he saw a poll that it was unpopular and decided "why not risk it all on this hail Mary?"

Whatever the reason, he proposed it, and the debate has been...spirited. 

✍️ 'It is time they repaid their debt to the nation' | Writes @HamishDBG

Read his full column here 👇https://t.co/PqvQ9TXYEv pic.twitter.com/5nNEMrXMgh

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 28, 2024

Hamish Bretton-Gordon, a former British officer, has written a stunningly stupid piece in one of my favorite news sources The Telegraph. In it he demonstrates exactly how tone-deaf the British Establishment has become, and gives us insight into why the Tories will suffer an epic defeat in this summer's elections. 

Why, pray tell, does Bretton-Gordon (what a British name!) believe that the youth of Britain should be anxious to devote a year to military training or one weekend a month in other civil duties for a year? (Let me be clear; I have no dog in this hunt and am utterly indifferent to the ultimate fate of this proposal).

Simple: young people in Britain should be grateful for what they country did during the COVID shutdown. 

No, really. That is his argument.

The hard reality is that this should not be seen as a social engineering project for the “youth” – although some are now so transfixed by their phones that enforced physical exercise is probably needed – but essential to protect our nation from another fascist tyrant marching West at an ever-increasing speed. National service should not just be confined to those turning 18. Those young adults who benefited so much from lockdown and furlough – their health and jobs preserved by an enormous national effort – should be give an opportunity to thank their elders for their sacrifices.

Boom. Argument over. If anybody is asking for gratitude based on what was done to the country during the COVID lockdowns they should have their head examined. 

COVID lockdowns in the United States could be characterized as a joke but for their disastrous consequences, and the same goes for Great Britain. Anybody who has followed the UK Covid-19 Inquiry knows that Britain blew their response as badly as the United States and that the leaders of that country were as unconcerned about the damage they were doing to the economy, the health, and in particular to the future of Britain's youth as our own leaders. 

Gratitude? How about rage and desire for revenge? Of all the reasons to consider national service gratitude for the "sacrifices" Britain's elders made for the well-being of young people ranks about 100 millionth. Britain's youth--all young people--had next to nothing to fear from COVID-19 and everybody knew that from the very beginning. The people who had most to fear were those who were already on death's door. 

We know how seriously the political leaders of Britain took COVID--they had parties at the height of the pandemic, laughing away as Britons were locked away watching their mental health slide and their economic prospects dwindle. Kids were permanently harmed in innumerable ways, not the least of which was watching their education go down the tubes. 

I am not arguing that Britons (or any Westerners) shouldn't be grateful that they live in freer countries than Russians or Iranians; but if you want to inspire gratitude you best leave 2020-21 out of the conversation. 

The political establishment in Western countries is increasingly divorced from the people they are supposed to represent. Here in the United States we are poised to reelect Donald Trump. Italy elected Giorgia Meloni, Argentina Javier Milei, El Salvador Nayib Bukele. Populism is on the rise, and while I am not a fan of populism in the abstract, it appears to be the only corrective to an establishment that is so out of touch that it sees the COVID response in a positive light. 

Something needs to wake the people in power up, and for the life of me I am not sure what will work. The Tories in Britain make the uniparty here in the US look positively Right-wing, and if my guess is right they will be on their way to meeting the DoDo in extinction heaven before long. 

That would be fine, but Labour? Yeesh. 

There is something truly sad about watching the party of Margaret Thatcher become the party of Rishi Sunak. Sure, he seems a nice enough guy, but he has the backbone of Neville Chamberlain and the policy savvy of Joe Biden. 

I love his hair, though. There is that. 

Gratitude for COVID lockdowns. Sheesh.