Citizens' Service (Mark 2?)

David Cameron says he wants a national voluntary citizens' service scheme. Apart from its focus on 16 year olds alone, the voluntary nature of the scheme makes this little different from the Millennium Volunteers scheme launched by David Blunkett in 1998 when he was education and employment secretary. It is now called v-involved. But its voluntary nature meant it was never going to be a universal scheme. Cameron's scheme is destined to be no different.

Blasts from the past

David Cameron has today chosen The Sun to hit back at Michael Ancram and his other critics who accuse him of abandoning traditional Thatcherism in the pursuit of power. He calls them 'blasts from the past'. This is the same man who has come up with a brilliant new plan of non-compulsory citizens' service for school leavers. (Ignore the spin for The Sun) I'm afraid there's nothing new for The Sun here. David Blunkett had the same idea in 1995 and as education secretary introduced it: it is called Millennium Volunteers.