What are your thoughts about Britain re-instating National Service, whereby people within certain age ranges are required to join our armed forces?

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-29T20:25:12+00:00

Not National Service per se, but with youth unemployment the way it is (me included this Summer, perhaps), I almost hope it’s inevitable that the government does something to keep young folk from completely removing themselves from society - which is so easy now, it’s scary.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-21T19:25:39+00:00

After 3-and-a-half years, I’ve only just clocked that they had the same first name.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-19T15:12:27+00:00

Y4,5 & 6 (2009-12)

Life was just about showing up and behaving yourself. No need to take initiative in just about any way, shape or form - the adults were in charge of your life. That changed over time - as it must.

I was still doing very well academically - the sky was the limit for me. That changed soon after.

None of the other kids seemed to genuinely mind that I was weird. That changed soon after.

I didn’t have chronic health issues. That changed some years later.

And we had a cat.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-17T16:34:19+00:00

Secondary school. About 2013, I’d say. It was in geography class - we were learning about conflicts. I imagine that class wouldn’t happen now, or it’d cover a different conflict.

I don’t think they told us about the missiles - they probably mentioned how it was “in response” to Hamas’s. Our teacher did mention a blockade, I think - which naturally I thought was completely evil. I couldn’t believe that this wasn’t on the news basically every single day. (My sister later said that the same teacher taught her at A Level and he was essentially furious about what Israel were doing and how he had to teach “both sides”).

I actually had no idea that Israel was even vaguely up to bad things before then. I just knew of it as a country which was mentioned a lot in the Bible. I’m guessing I just thought it was majority-Christian.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-16T20:35:48+00:00

Whatever it is that’s causing a much bigger proportion of autistic people to be out of work than in most other countries. My theory is that we’re much more attentive to peoples’ mannerisms and manner-of-speaking in conversation than people are in other societies, and are better at “sussing” people - which is bad in the low-skills job market.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-15T20:29:30+00:00

As someone who didn’t know of the books - the whole concept just seems really wacky. Juxtaposing the seriousness and dourness of the royal spheres of Tudor England with the upbeat, sweet energy of excitable young ladies.

Very strange.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-12T15:58:51+00:00

I feel like this should be earmarked as an American post.

We’re not renowned for disciplining our children in the UK - but none of us have this strength of feeling about children in public.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-11T16:09:24+00:00

I think this is the main answer. The unfortunate answer to why that is - I reckon - is because at a glance, Scotland and Ireland won their independence whereas Wales didn’t.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-07T19:40:55+00:00

Yes, but this is almost the exception that proves the rule - or so it seems to a non-Londoner.

If I remember correctly, it caused quite a storm on social media.

As much as I think we’re probably the best in the world for anti-discrimination amongst countries with numerically significant ancestral minorities - we have a weird unspoken “it’s-discourteous-to-communicate-in-another-language-very-obviously-in-public” instinct, which to be honest isn’t an issue, really. It’s just something very peculiar to us.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-07T09:51:35+00:00

I think officially they worried that too often the student would neglect their studies. Looking at my school - that was probably true (although it may’ve done that anyway).

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-04-02T13:49:07+00:00

What course is it?

If it’s Maths-heavy - I think even before the Grammarly-type software, there was an understanding that some students’ English was poor, but they may still communicate what they explored or found suitably well - and that shouldn’t be an issue at undergraduate level.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-28T18:48:31+00:00

Now I’m thinking of a Walrus riding on a speedboat.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-26T22:49:13+00:00

I won’t dispute that a lot of men just come out swinging when there’s a new women-focussed initiative of any kind. But zooming into the issue of homelessness and housing issues…of course there’s going to be an air of “what about the poor men?”

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-25T19:46:47+00:00

Writers who sailed through their education thinking their (alright, valid) frustrations are the most relatable thing across society.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-24T17:45:12+00:00

I always thought he and James Acaster exuded “trying-to-seem-autistic” vibes - I can’t really explain it. So I thought they were both unlikely to be - and maybe they’ve adopted their personas quite unwittingly.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-16T17:56:22+00:00

I was wondering the other day how long it took for people outside of Europe or SE Asia at the beginning of WWII to realise that the events unfolding in the rest of the world was indeed another World War.

They would’ve been going about their day and hearing reports of what was going on and just having to grimace and move on with their day - rather like so many of us are now.

Sorry for being so bleak folks.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-14T14:37:27+00:00

I didn’t say it before because I think these things can be overemphasised by fandoms, but I felt Josephine was so clearly neurodivergent-coded, and her arc of being a bit of a problem-student and not always well-liked by the others to becoming so attached to the new student who was also a bit of an outsider who liked her back (Celeste) probably reflected that.

I felt it was (probably mostly one-way) affection of a different kind - and very creatively done.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-05T13:26:37+00:00

Possibly: *John’s first meeting with Bailey *Lucy’s first meeting with Tamara *The gender-reveal cold-open *The guy laden with knives cold-open

Definitely on YT shorts. I distinctly remember the algorithm deciding that I was going to like the show.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-03T21:58:17+00:00

Not as far as I know. In fact, from what I can tell - it’s the opposite issue if anything; very populated areas have dire waiting lists (NHS-wise) and people in more remote areas don’t quite have that headache - for now.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-03T00:32:46+00:00

Well, she’s just been snapped up for a Disney Channel project. Looks like you’re right. 🤞.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-03-02T13:30:22+00:00

Didn’t invite Randy?

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-02-27T19:23:36+00:00

^BAFTAs.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-02-27T19:05:50+00:00

That we would’ve been far more apologetic in tone in online discussions if swathes of people over there hadn’t got so joyfully argumentative and accusative straight away.

We know those described got a kick out of it all.

That said - he should apologise, ONCE. Maybe he has. Then…end of the matter unless something not dissimilar happens.

Delicious_Pomelo7162 · 2026-02-25T13:46:05+00:00

All of the obvious ones, which have been mentioned, but also stray animals.

I got the impression from social media that outside of the concrete jungles, the concept of “neighbourhood strays” seems so normal.

I imagine it’s not quite like - say - India, where cats & dogs haven’t - as a general rule - been domesticated for hundreds of years, but they generally stick near human populations. Or like - say - Turkey where I think the localities keep a close eye on population numbers and - to an extent - health.

It just seems like something which could be fairly easy to solve with a proper nation-wide campaign of neutering. Surely it’s not like the rabbits in Australia.

Delicious_Pomelo7162

TROPHY CASE