Nice idea, but who would do service?

I see that yet again in the Letters page there is a fond plea for the return of National Service.

I make no comment as to the merits or otherwise of this idea, but what does interest me is the question of exactly who would perform this duty?

There appears to be a tacit assumption that the performance of National Service would be carried out by young men only (as in yesteryears) but how can this be correct in this day and age? Many very senior positions are held by women in our armed forces as well as our emergency services, so to exclude women from National Service simply on the grounds that they are female would be an act of blatant sexism, would it not? Well, wouldn't it?

Would single mothers be called upon to serve? And if not, will unmarried fathers be excused National Service also? If not, why not?

Also, could or should National Service be avoided if a person sought to claim that being in the military would lead them into conflict with persons who share their faith or ethnic origins?

The entire topic of a possible return to the days of National Service raises many more questions than can be reasonably answered. However, in the unlikely event of its re-implementation I foresee an explosion of teenage pregnancies, an entire army of men actually wanting to claim paternity; and entire battalions of lawyers engaged in (financially lucrative) legal battles to have their clients excused National Service for whatever reason that is currently politically correct or convenient.

S Lamberton, Station Road, Aldridge.