The C Word

And I'm not talking about that C word, you silly bunt!*

With the Prime Minister talking about expanding the army by another 2600 personnel, the word in question is "Conscription."

Enticing another 2600 army recruits will be an uphill task in an era of low unemployment, particularly as the armed forces haven't met previous years' recruitment requirements. It's hard to see how the numbers will be raised by relaxing the standards, ie, letting in people sporting tats or a previous drug conviction, or enticing them through school cadet corps.

It won't be long before some wally, probably from the RSL, raises the prospect of using conscription to get the numbers.

No government, not even the miserable conservative example we're lumbered with at the moment, will seriously consider conscription in peace time, but it won't prevent a few loonies from floating the possibility.

*You probably need to be over 35 to appreciate this.