Is Labour Leading The Electorate Up The Garden Path Again ….

[naomi24]

… or are they ignorant of the law?

The Labour Party is distributing a video as part of its campaign to give 16-year-olds across the UK the right to vote and says “You’re 16. Now you can get married, join the army, work full time”…. but you can only join the Army aged 16 or 17 with your parents' permission. At that age you also need your parents' permission to get married unless you do so in Scotland. Since 2013, 16- and 17-year-olds cannot work full-time in England, but can in the other three home nations with some restrictions.

Nice idea for them to attempt to generate more votes from the naïve, but a reality check for them – and for those who cling to their every word - here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41831036

[ToraToraTora]

Labour know that at 16 they have just finished their lefty brainwashing so it's all fresh in their heads. The evils of anything but socialism, so they'll all vote Labour, simples.

[Mamyalynne]

It's an ill thought out campaign when all the main points need to be followed by a qualification.

[naomi24]

Labour are well aware that the young, in general, naively embrace idealistic notions. That’s why they’re hoodwinked by the empty promises of the imaginary Utopia that Labour will provide and that’s why, for Labour, the young are a primary target. Of course that’s no excuse for the more mature who vote for them. Their reasoning is beyond comprehension.

[Kromovaracun]

//Their reasoning is beyond comprehension.//

Do you not feel that is sliiiiightly over-dramatic?

[naomi24]

No, I don't Krom. Why anyone with any sense would want this country to be governed by their form of socialism is beyond my comprehension.

[Deskdiary]

We reach the ago of majority in this country at 18.

Therefore, regardless of permission, children should not be allowed to join the army until they are 18 or be allowed to marry until they are 18.

Let's say, for the sake of the argument, that this idea, which is of weapons grade stupidity, were to ever be allowed to pass, we would have children who can vote, marry and join the army.....but who cannot go into a pub and legally buy themselves a beer. Just how daft is that?

And at what point will we be debating about 15 year olds, or 14 year olds being allowed to vote? If 16 year olds can, why not 14 years olds?

16 year olds should not be given the vote, should not be allowed to marry and should not be able to join the army.

Stupid stupid stupid idea.

[ludwig]

//16 year olds should not be given the vote, should not be allowed to marry and should not be able to join the army.//

Sounds good to me.

[Kromovaracun]

//Why anyone with any sense would want this country to be governed by their form of socialism is beyond my comprehension.//

Because we live in a two party system and there are some popular policies (like rail nationalisation) which Labour have a higher chance of implementing than the Tories.

It's not that complicated.

[Kromovaracun]

I'm personally indifferent to the idea. I cannot see that any significant development or maturity takes place between 16 and 18. Plus there are extremely large numbers of older people who are mind-bendingly dense (indeed I would say the majority of people go through their lives without learning to think) and yet have the ability to vote, so our current system doesn't select for ability/appropriateness anyway.

It's also an issue that everyone promptly stops caring about once they are old enough to vote, and isn't exactly a vote-winner itself. So I wish Labour wouldn't go on about it.

[dannyk13]

Kromo
// (indeed I would say the majority of people go through their lives without learning to think)//
Did you think before posting such a condescending remark?

[Kromovaracun]

yep.

[dannyk13]

Then you are more crass than I thought.

[jourdain2]

I would certainly like the voting age to be restored to 21. When it was 21, the vast majority of people had left school at 14,16 or 18 and had some experience of the world of work, many were married and parents, they were mature as people. . Now we have U18's referred to as 'minors' and 16 yr-olds called 'children' and protected. Students require 'safe spaces' , trigger-warnings etc.. They are not mature.

[vetuste_ennemi]

//If 16 year olds were more likely to vote Tory, rather Labour, you can be sure that our resident right-wingers, on AB, and the Tory Party itself, would be howling for a legislative change.//

I would hope that "our resident right-wingers" live by a higher moral standard than Mr Corbyn's. I can't speak for most of the Tory party.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Agree with Jourdain's post. Of course she doesn't go far enough. A greater proportion of young people are being "educated" to the age of twenty-one and beyond than ever before. Look at this:

"This Statistical First Release (SFR) provides the latest provisional initial participation rates for Higher Education (HE). The Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) is an estimate of the likelihood of a young person participating in Higher Education by age 30, based on current participation rates. Chart 1. The HEIPR continues to increase, reaching 49% in 2015/16 up from 42% in 2006/07 ."

So rather than the vast majority of 21 year olds having had several years earning their way in the world (true when Wilson reduced the voting age to 18) half of today's young adults have spent their first 21 years living at the expense of parents and the state. This is a system for deferring adolescence and dependency, not the stuff democracy is likely to thrive on.

[naomi24]

Krom, //I would say the majority of people go through their lives without learning to think//

Coming from someone who, whilst disregarding the most negative, apparently bases his choice of government on the possibility that the railways may be re-nationalised, I can only conclude that your low opinion of the majority of people is founded upon self-appraisal.

[ichkeria]

A classic case of the wrong arguments for the right cause.

[naomi24]

Rather a classic case of Labour attempting, once again, to influence the electorate with deceit.

[jno]

I can only conclude that your low opinion of the majority of people is founded upon self-appraisal.

a very wordy way of saying "Yah, so are you!"

[ichkeria]

"Rather a classic case of Labour attempting, once again, to influence the electorate with deceit."

Probably, but as far as the case for votes for 16 and up goes, I am all for it