The Tories are calling for national service in a last ditch desperate attempt to get more votes that they need.

　　Ever since national service was abolished in the early 1960s, it’s been the definition of the pub bore to call for its return, usually to put some backbone into the young.

　　Now it’s the official policy of the Tory party as it struggles for survival under the hapless leadership of Rishi Sunak. Both Britain and the United States abolished conscription because they judged it was more efficient and cheaper to invest in highly-trained professional soldiers and sailors.

　　They deemed employing these soldiers would be preferable to training, paying, housing and disciplining large numbers of disgruntled teenagers.

　　Hence, there were quick denunciations of Sunak’s proposal as “electoral opportunism” by assorted ex-chiefs of staff. There is presumably a crude electoral calculation involved.

　　Polling suggests that only 10 percent of 18-to-24 year olds back year-long compulsory military service, but 46 percent of those over 65 do. The latter is an important part of the Tories’ base so Sunak’s proposal can be seen as an attempt to prevent them from haemorrhaging in larger numbers to Reform UK.

　　But I think there’s also something broader involved. Nick Robinson asked Sunak on last Thursday’s BBC Radio 4 Today programme if, in effect, he was going to run a dirty campaign.

　　Sunak didn’t give a straight answer, instead stressing the importance of “security”. The Tories have been presenting themselves for months as defending Britain in what they call a “pre-war situation” — in other words, in imminent danger of a Russian attack.

　　We know now that Sunak decided some time ago to call a snap election in July. So the fact that he made a speech a couple of weeks ago devoted to “security” is significant.

　　He said then that “the next few years will be some of the most dangerous yet the most transformational our country has ever known. The dangers that threaten our country are real.

　　They are increasing in number. “The states like Russia, Iran, North Korea and China is working together to undermine us and our values,” he went on.

　　Absurdly Sunak added pro-Palestine campaigners and “gender activists” to the list of threats. Enemies So here we have the Tories portraying themselves as defending Britain against enemies without and within.

　　It was almost exactly 40 years ago that Margaret Thatcher denounced “the enemy within”, targeting striking miners. But she combined a very traditional conservative and racist nationalism with optimism about how neoliberal economic policies could transform Britain for the better.

　　Thatcherism was summed up by the formula “free economy plus strong state”. As Janan Ganesh, the clever but annoying Tory columnist at the Financial Times, pointed out last week, Sunak “is the most thoroughgoing capitalist to have held the office of UK prime minister.

　　“At the same time, he is enough of a stickler for tradition and nationhood to have supported Brexit before Boris Johnson did.” But, like Thatcher herself, he’s failed to see that capitalist anarchy undermines traditional institutions and beliefs.

　　It’s true that in his security speech Sunak tried to paint a glowing picture of a future, innovative, free-enterprise Britain. But in reality, Toryism in power has increasingly used the state to prop up an increasingly shaky capitalism.

　　When announcing the election in that rain-drenched Downing Street address, Sunak started with the furlough scheme, which was financed by massive government borrowing.

　　Johnson won the last election promising to get Brexit done and to level up the parts of Britain that had suffered deindustrialisation.

　　The failure of these policies is summed up by Michael Gove’s announcement that he is retiring from politics in his mid-50s. He is another architect of Brexit and Sunak’s levelling up secretary.

　　Sunak represents the dregs of Thatcherism. Wrapping himself in the Union Jack is all he has left. He and his government deserve to be swept away. It’s just a pity that his likely successor is equally fond of flag-waving.

　　Editor: Zhong Yao  Wei Xiaoxue

　　From:https://socialistworker.co.uk/2024/05/union-jack-waving-is-all-the-tories-have-left/（2024-5-28）