The Sunday Ishmael: 08/03/2026

 My name is mrs ishmael and I'm a Northern Boomer. A Generation Xer called me a Boomer the other day, taking the piss, really. Set me thinking, though. All this inter-generational strife, stoked up by media, of course, has people believing that those folk born after the war and before 1965 really never had it so good. All nonsense, of course. In terms of material advantage, young adults now beat we northern boomers hollow (maybe the southern boomers fared better than us up north.) But these days, people have carpets that go from edge to edge of the room, not a rug on painted floor boards, they have fridges, freezers, TVs, a computer in their pocket, they go abroad on holiday to stupid places in the Middle East and need to be rescued, they all have cars, masses of clothes, so much stuff that they have a word for their inability to tidy up - Stuffocation, and TV programmes are made by Stacey Solomon showing them how to throw stuff away.

When I were a kid, although I was fortunate enough to be born into a middle class, professional family, we were poor in today's terms. Most people were poor. The nation had emerged from a crippling war in which our cities had been bombed out of existence - Hitler's slum clearance project - there was so little food that folk dug up their lawns to plant potatoes and kept chickens to supplement meagre rations - try telling kids now that their food could be rationed, instead of being delivered, cooked, to their door by a Deliveroo driver. Most kids' dads had done their war service - fought in the armed forces. Most kids' mums had done their war service by supporting the troops, working in factories to replace the men who had been called up, or working on the land as Land Girls. By 1942 all male British subjects between 18 and 51 years old and all females 20 to 30 years old resident in Great Britain and the Isle of Man were liable to be called up, with some exemptions. After the War, Boomers' older brothers and boyfriends did their National Service.

National Service as peacetime conscription was introduced by the National Service Act 1948 by Clement Attlee's Labour government. From 1 January 1949, healthy males 18 to 30 years old were required to serve in the armed forces for 18 months, and remain on the reserve list for four years. They could be recalled to their units for up to 20 days on three occasions during these four years. Men were exempt from National Service if they worked in one of the three essential services: coal mining, farming, or the merchant navy for at least eight years. In November 1960, the last conscripted men entered service: call-ups ended on 31 December 1960 and the last conscripted servicemen left the armed forces in May 1963.

I knew blokes who had done their National Service and loved it - get away from mum,  travel, adventure, Boy's Own Paper stuff.

At my Primary School, there were two prefabs in the grounds for all the extra kids (baby boom). Classes were big- between 42 to 48. No classroom assistants to help children with special educational needs or disability. There was an air-raid shelter behind the prefabs. The toilets were outdoor. Kids walked to school or caught the bus. Because we were middle class, my dad had a Lambretta 

and he would drop me off at school on his way to work in the morning, ridiculously early, but I had to walk the two miles home in the afternoon, dodging the psychopath village boys who enjoyed taking girls down a peg or two by the infliction of violence.

The only advantage that I can see that Boomers had over subsequent generations was that not only was higher education free, but you also got a Maintenance Grant for 3 years. Not many went to University, though - in 1969, 6% of young people went, up from 3.8% in 1960. And home ownership generally was not common. Rental was big.

So, having refuted the canard that Boomers had everything and therefore deserve to be impoverished and abused by Generation XYZ and Millennials, can we assume that the comfortable lives that the post 1965-ers have been given by a generous British state have resulted in a willingness to serve their country? Nope. You can ask, but they have no intention of rousing themselves from their lethargy, their mental elf and their video pretend war games.

A recent authoritative study reported by The Times, in partnership with YouGov and Public First into the views and beliefs of adults aged 18-27 revealed that only 11 per cent said they would go to war for Britain while 41 per cent said there were no circumstances at all in which they would take up arms for Britain. 

Which really is hugely concerning, given that Britain is at war and no-one seems to believe it. Fluttering ladies of a certain age tell me that Trump is a horrible man. And? They say that the pictures of bombed cities are dreadful. And? That displaced people are having an awful time. Yes, And? Hospitals and schools are being bombed. Yes, and your point is?

Their point seems to be that Trump should just stop it because it is nasty and they don't like it.

The problem is that we have Sir Keir Starmer, International Man of Law and Vacillation, heading up the Cabinet, abetted by Ed forfucksake Milliband and Yvette Hauteur-Cooper, who vetoed providing Trump with assistance when he needed it. Now Trump's got a grudge against Britain. And we're still at war - no, I know it has not been declared - they don't do that anymore. But the evidence is pointing in that direction. And we gave our munitions to Ukraine and so depleted the Royal Navy that we don't have sufficient boats to fight (or, at least, intimidate) on two fronts, as Trevor Phillips pointed out this morning. We sent the aircraft carrier to the High North (thank god, some protection for the Northern Isles) and couldn't manage to get our Dragon Ship serviced and off out of Portsmouth into the Med last week to defend our base in Cyprus, and of course, it couldn't go this weekend because Portsmouth doesn't work at the weekend. Sir Keir has promised to increase defence spending, as required to do by NATO and Trump - but that was basically a lie to shut people up, as the increase is scheduled for 5 years hence, by which time I sincerely hope that the British people have democratically sent him back to his law studies.

Britain was able to afford to introduce the welfare state and the NHS after  the Second World War because it didn't have to spend on its  own defence - relying instead on America to bear the lion's share of defending its NATO partners. Now that America has its champion, Trump, who basically has announced that up with this we are no longer prepared to put, what are our pundits and politicians saying? That America is no longer a reliable ally. No, I fear that Britain is no longer a reliable ally. 

Please can we have Kemi Badenoch for Prime Minister and Penny Mordaunt for Foreign and Defence Secretary?

Holding luxury beliefs about open borders and global fair play is a bit like being the driver of a luxury car. You can be the best driver in the world, but if you take your Jaguar or Mercedes Benz out on the road, you are at risk from the drunk, the incompetent, the testosterone-fuelled uninsured teenage boy racer. Attempt to apply your luxury post-modern beliefs to the current global situation and you will be run over  by such as the Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Seyyed Ali Mousavi, a suave fellow, of whose appointment it is said by iraninews.com that his experience and background in international legal affairs is expected to contribute positively to Iran's foreign policy objectives in Britain. Interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg today, he assured her that Iran is a peace-loving country and he chided her over her lack of delicacy in her line of questioning. She'd asked him about the 20 attacks on Britain by the IRGC  since 2022. And about Iran's nuclear capability. And its attacks on neighbouring Middle Eastern countries. And killing thousands of its own protesting citizens in January this year in Tehran. Mousavi's response was that more delicacy was required in asking about such matters. 

Stand up for Penny Mordaunt, Sword Bearer, who admiringly thanked Laura for her lack of delicacy.

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There are four splendid anthologies of the writings of stanislav and mr ishmael, compiled by his friend, mr verge, the house filthster. You can buy them from Amazon or Lulu. Here's how:

Honest Not Invent, Vent Stack, Ishmael’s Blues, and the latest, Flush Test (with a nice picture of the late, much lamented, Mr Harris of Lanarkshire taking a piss on a totem pole) are available from Lulu and Amazon. If you buy from Amazon, it would be nice if you could give a review on their website.

IIshmaelites wishing to buy a copy from lulu should follow these steps 

please register an account first, at lulu.com. This is advisable because otherwise paypal seems to think it's ok to charge in dollars, and they then apply their own conversion rate, which might put the price up slightly for a UK buyer. Once the new account is set up, follow one of the links below (to either paperback or hardback) or type "Ishmael’s Blues" into the Lulu Bookstore search box. Click on the “show explicit content” tab, give the age verification box a date of birth such as 1 January 1960, and proceed.

Link for Hardcover : https://tinyurl.com/je7nddfr

Link for Paperback : https://tinyurl.com/3jurrzux

https://www.lulu.com/shop/ishmael-smith/flush-test/paperback/product-9yjvn7.html?q=Flush+Test&page=1&pageSize=4

At checkout, try WELCOME15 in the coupon box, which (for the moment) takes 15% off the price before postage. If this code has expired by the time you reach this point, try a google search for "Lulu.com voucher code" and see what comes up.

With the 15% voucher, PB (including delivery to a UK address) should be £16.84; HB £27.04.