Permanent link for article #0081:
11-28-2009
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What Did I Do?
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Subject: The UK: Just One Small Step Ahead of Us
In the UK Telegraph, Julie Henry reports on Britain's plan to impose
50 hours of mandatory national service upon all of the country's youth.
Apparently Gordon Brown has been listening to
Michael Caine and decided that this move is
just what the UK needs to help solve its current problems. However,
there appear to be some unintended consequences of this measure. Who
would have guessed?!!
Criminal checks for
all sixth formers
Every teenager is likely to face a criminal record check
under plans for all young people to take part in compulsory
community service.
The Government has pledged that all 16 to 18 year olds will
complete 50 hours of community work as part of its move to
raise the school leaving age.
In the speech announcing the plan, which will be a Labour
manifesto pledge, Gordon Brown specifically mentioned that
teenagers would make a difference by "helping in an old
people's home or tutoring younger pupils".
But under the Government's strict new vetting regime, anyone
over the age of 16 working with children or vulnerable adults
will have to start registering with the new Independent
Safeguarding Authority (ISA) from November next year.
Critics of the reach of the controversial new vetting and
barring scheme said half a million teenagers a year could
be forced to undergo criminal checks.
Whilst those whose voluntary work does not involve children
or vulnerable adults could in theory escape vetting, in
practice it is likely that schools and organisations hosting
volunteers will find it easier to take a blanket approach
and vet everyone.
[...]
The vetting scheme was initially designed to protect children
against abuse. More than 11 million people are expected to
be vetted by 2015. Checks cost £64 but are free to
volunteers.
[...]
Critics have condemned the application of vetting to an
ever-growing number of law-abiding helpers.
Parents who ferry children to football matches, adults who
sit in with their youngsters at Sunday school and parents
who occasionally help out at Scouts have all fallen victim
to the zealous imposition of the checks.
[...]
Gordon Brown said in April that he would compel all young
people to carry out 50 hours community service before they
are 19 years old.
The scheme, billed as a new version of 'National Service',
will be woven into plans to make everyone stay in education
or training until the age of 18 by 2011.
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Fantastic. It's a double play! Not only is every child throughout
the country going to be forced into indentured servitude, but the
plan will eventually result in a thorough background check of every
citizen in the country. Slavery and the complete destruction
of individual privacy all in one package. And don't forget the added
extra bonus of all those new government jobs created to administer
the bureaucracy for these new programs. A few more taxes should
cover that. No, I was wrong, it's a triple!
If we can just get this distracting health care bill passed, then I
feel confident that our president will have the time to focus on
a bright and shiny mandatory national service requirement of our
own. After all, why should Britain have all the fun, and Gordon
Brown get all the glory?
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