Getting out of arms way

Last week at their annual conference, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) denounced the Army for visiting a disproportionate number of inner-city schools on recruitment drives. The implication being that those attending under-performing schools in the UK would have limited career options other than as IED-fodder in the back streets of Afghanistan.

In 2007, 27 youths were murdered in London alone, mostly from knife or gunshot wounds. So far in 2008, nine young men have been stabbed to death in the capital. Maybe school leavers living in some British cities might fancy joining the army just to get away from all that violence.