Votes For 16: Wales Voting Reforms See Voting Age Lowered

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-42848685

Good ! If people are being taxed, then they deserve the right to vote...why not ?

[Kromovaracun]

In principle, it would be best to confer all the benefits of adulthood (voting, marriage, driving, etc) to anyone who passes an exam testing things like ability to identify self-interest, ability to reason and think critically, understanding of cause and effect.

This will never happen, though, because a) examiners are corruptible and the passage of time is not. b) millions of people who are currently legal adults - in fact even plenty of people who have gotten to retirement age - would never pass it, and therefore never support it.

As we can't have a good system, then, we're stuck with a standard age for certain rights. All of these will always look completely arbitrary if you look at them in enough detail (because they are), so quibbling about the precise age is somewhat meaningless.

[Zacs-Master]

Mikey, young people have a tendency to rebel against the system. This, coupled with Corbyn’s outright lies (or ‘policies’ as he would call them) was the reason.

Turn your comment on its head, and you could say the more mature people become, the more they vote Conservative :-)

[Old_Geezer]

"So, is this the real reason why most people on here this morning are against lowering the voting age ?"

Unlikely since it's wrong anyway. (I'd suggest it was still unlikely, but more likely, that those supporting 'votes for kids' might be doing so for that reason.)

[bhg481]

ZM has beaten me to it. The figures show that the older and wiser people get the more they realise that left-wing policies are great in theory but don't work in practice.

[mikey4444]

Zacs...using your logic, then presumably, when we have a Labour government, the younger voters will be more likely to vote Tory ?

Another aspect of this is that while Labour has been more successful in increasing its Membership, and its support across the board, the Tories appear to be hemorrhaging Membership.

[Spicerack]

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3c8f0c95e1749fdece27c9f6edb529f9b81014a08a2593df9585c3c24393dc8f.jpg?w=600&h=306

[Zacs-Master]

Mikey, Erm.......no. Not at all. You seem to have completely missed the point and then made a complete non sequitur comment.

[EDDIE51]

How are they paying tax? You can't leave school,education or training until after your 18th birthday. Unless Wales is different from England.
I do agree with it though and it's only council elections.

[bhg481]

Mikey - you keep harping on about membership numbers. They are irrelevant; it's votes that count. How many people joined the Labour Party just to get a vote to make sure Corbyn stayed as leader?

[Zacs-Master]

Eddie, you can start an apprenticeship or traineeship at 16.

[mikey4444]

bhg....in June 2017, Labour increased it share of MPs from 232 to 262. In the same Election, the Tories lost 13 seats.

So, yes, it's votes that count.

[EDDIE51]

Zacs yes exactly, apprenticeship or traineeship .Both count as full time training and the pay is well under the tax threshold.

[Zacs-Master]

So not membership then?

[Zacs-Master]

My last comment was to Mikey, of course.

[emmie]

so is that why you want votes for 16 year olds so that they may vote in mass numbers for the Labour party..

[cassa333]

Full time education now goes to 18. With the exception of those going into apprenticeships or employment.

So no I don't think 16 yr olds should get the vote.

As has been said earlier idealism isn't reality.

I remember when I was first able to vote. I was on a low wage doing a menial job. I couldn't see why people should earn more than me just because they're sat in an office or owned the business. I thought wages should be capped. I thought no one should be so Rich they could afford a Lear jet when I couldn't always afford the bus fare to work.

But then I grew up and realised that without them I wouldn't have a job. Without them as an example of what can be achieved you stagnate. When (in some cases IF they ever do) you stop thinking everyone else owes you a living then you realise that actually the world isn't always absolutely fare. The world is full of people of differing abilities and differing wants and desires.

The young and idealistic shouldn't be allowed to *** it all up for future generations.

[naomi24]

Mikey, As has been said, the naivety of the young was evidenced in the 2017 election. No surprise that the left-leaning, including Scotland, Wales, and you, support the idea. As you say it is votes that count and the left will attempt to win by fair means or foul.

[mikey4444]

Zacs....this is from the HOC Library. As you can see membership of the Labour Party has increased.

The Tory Party refuse to provide any figures.

http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN05125

[Zacs-Master]

But you said it was votes that count. You seem to be a bit befuddled.

[Jackdaw33]

As this is in Wales I think it only fair that sheep should have a vote as well. Of course they will all vote Labour as do many other sheep, but it's only Wales.