Should the forces stay out of pride month?

The generational story here runs backwards from what you'd expect. It's not the young who are most exercised about the military marching in rainbow colours at Pride, nor the old who are most permissive — it's the 35-64 bracket, especially those in their 50s and early 60s, who voted most decisively that the forces should sit June out. Meanwhile the under-25s and 25-34s, the very cohort recruiters are chasing, couldn't agree among themselves, splitting down the middle in both age bands.

Gender barely moved the needle, with men and women landing within a few points of each other and both comfortably on the Yes side of the ledger. That's notable in itself: this reads less as a culture-war flashpoint split along the usual lines and more as a generational argument about what soldiers are for, fought out largely among people who agree on most other things.

The fault line underneath is the old one about institutional neutrality versus institutional values — should the Army look like the society it defends, or stand apart from its arguments. Recruitment crisis or not, a clear majority here thinks the parade route isn't the place for a uniform.

The chamber's youngest didn't back the forces out, they just couldn't decide either way.