Parodies of national service and frontline Gen-Zers are taking the internet by storm in the midst of Rishi Sunak‘s bold intentions.
Sunak dropped a major bombshell this week as he vowed to enforce a ‘compulsory’ national service scheme, if the Tories are re-elected in July. The PM’s controversial plan would see 18-year-olds choosing between full-time military work or volunteering for one weekend each month, across a one-year period.
While a YouGov poll recently unveiled that 34% of Brits would support a programme of this nature, countless youngsters have since flocked online to voice their dismay or even poke fun at the idea of conscription. This has given to rise to a bizarre ‘World War Three’ internet trend, with influencers parodying what it might be like if Gen-Zers took to the frontline.
British TikToker Mathew Matos Gillingwater is among them, having posted a hilarious ‘battlefield vlog’ which has since garnered a staggering 1.5million likes. “Day in the life on the battlefield!”, he says at the start of his video, before doing a quick twerk in the fake warzone (@mathew.matosg).
“So, after waking up to the sound of air sirens I got myself up and had my morning rations of eight beans and a slice of bread. Usually, we’re only allowed six beans but I think the Sergeant fancies me.
“After this, I got ready for the battlefield, I didn’t get to finish my bronzer though ‘coz I literally just started getting shot at – like, what the f***? This is what I was wearing for the day – I can’t believe they gave us these cargo [pants] for free because they are so cute.
“Luckily, the French are on our side this time so you know I had to get some of the French girlies to do my French tips and they look amazing!” Unsurprisingly, Matthew’s spoof was quick to rack up thousands of comments, with many users in hysterics over his take.
One person wrote: “Gen Z would be calling HR with complaints and nothing would be getting done,” as others chimed in: “Gen Z humour WINS,” and: “No but that will literally be us because of the national service.”
Matthew certainly isn’t the only one to make light of national conscription either, with comedian Billy Miles also creating a video to joke about ‘Getting drafted for WW3’ in the UK. “War? Oh no, no I can’t, I can’t, I’m sorry,” he said (@billy978), while pretending to be on the phone, holding a glass of wine.
“I’m away that weekend for Ellie’s hen do … oh, I would love to but the Thursday I’m getting my eyelashes and nails done, the Friday I’m out with the girls and then the Saturday I was just going to have a ‘me day’, like a detox.”
This too, was met with a flurry of amused reactions, as other users chimed in with their own World War ‘excuses’. One person wrote: “My mum said unless she knows the other parents I can’t go, sorry,” as another added: “I’m walking my fish that day sorry.”
Sunak’s intentions for a mandatory scheme come an unbelievable 64 years after the UK ended its post-War conscription. This saw young able-bodied men called upon to support in military operations across Korea, Malaya and various other nations.
The PM believes that reinstating this will help bring back the sense of ‘national spirit’ that previously emerged during the pandemic, while giving young people the opportunity to ‘transform their lives’. In his national address, he explained: “We have so much to be proud of in Britain. But one of the problems in our society is that we have generations of young people who don’t have the opportunities they deserve.
“Britain today faces a future that is more dangerous and more divided – there’s no doubt our democratic values are under threat. That is why we will introduce a bold new model of national service for 18-year-olds.”
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