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 ?

[Zacs-Master]

I think you just proved their point by saying you weren’t typical of your generation.

[mikey4444]

One thing you can sure of.....when this change in law comes in, in 2022, all Parties will be targeting these new voters, and that includes the Tory Party, despite them not being fans of any law change at the present moment in time.

[naomi24]

Talbot, //How many ABers can honestly say they had the remotest interest in politics at 16 years old?//

I did, but apart from my dreamier moments when I thought the best way to end war was to put all the politicians in a room to fight it out between themselves (that youthful idealism you see – Jeremy would have loved me), my opinions were most definitely shaped by my working class socialist parents who extolled the virtues of Communist Russia – never having seen life in Communist Russia.

[emmie]

women were denied everything though not just the vote, to be a doctor, to be a lawyer, and so forth, and their money, property was given to the man on their marriage, now we wouldn't countenance such a thing. I wouldn't have been mature enough at 16, though i thought i was, to vote, you does don't see enough of life at that age.

[Gromit]

So to sum up.
A load of old people on Answerbank think that 16 year olds should mot be allowed to vote.

[naomi24]

Mikey, //I repeat, if young people, in general, were "mature enough" to vote Tory, you would support this move to the hilt.//

No … I wouldn’t. Sixteen year olds are too young to be given the vote.

//And you assertion that young people were immature and that is why they voted Labour, is breath taking in its bigotry.//

Oh dear ... and there's me not carrying an oxygen bottle to help you out. However, back to the subject. That is why they voted Labour, Mikey. They were immature enough to believe Jeremy’s spiel. (Sorry Mikey …. but you believed it too, and I don’t really know what to say about that).

//Would you have supported the notion, that women were too silly and "immature" to be allowed the vote ?//

I don’t understand your analogy between immature youth and adult women. What are you talking about?

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

/// So what you are saying then Naomi, is that 16 and 17 years olds shouldn't be allowed to vote, as they might vote for the wrong Party, ie Labour ! ///

If that was a reason she would be saying that ethnic minorities shouldn't be allowed to vote, after all aren't they Labour's core voters?

[-Talbot-]

Gromit -Talbot,
I first election(s) I remember was 1974, I was 10 and I knew exactly which party I would vote for.


Then you were a very unusual kid, Gromit.
At least your not one of these 'My great grandad voted Labour, My grandad voted Labour, My dad voted Labour ... so I'm voting Labour.

I've never understood that mentality.

[-Talbot-]

you're*

[Zacs-Master]

Quite correct AOG. 65% of ethnic minority voters voted Labour.

[naomi24]

Talbot, Gromit hasn’t said he didn’t vote the same way as his parents and grandparents. Perhaps he wasn't so unusual. ;o)

[-Talbot-]

How many kids have you got, Gromit?

[emmie]

so Labour go after the ethnic and youth vote, isn't that a tad cynical?

[emmie]

i have no idea how my family voted when i was a kid, no one as far as i remember ever discussed politics.

[Gromit]

If voting is based on perceived ‘maturity’ then we would never be able to have an election. In 2010 4 million people wasted their vote and put a cross next to UKIP. But it didn’t have a (direct) effect on the election outcome.

The only time 16 year olds have voted in the UK was in the Scottish Independence Referendum. 70% of them voted FOR independence. But the result went the other way. Which is fine.

[Zacs-Master]

Self interest in politics emmie. Surely not!

[anneasquith]

Should 16/17 year olds be allowed to vote, yes .

[mikey4444]

Emmie....why is that cynical ? Why shouldn't a political Party campaign where it thinks that its going to be successful ?

After all, doesn't the Tory Party actively campaign in wealthy shire counties ?

[Zacs-Master]

Gromit, do you not think that those 4 million votes played a part in bending Cameron’s arm up his back and promising a referendum?

[mikey4444]

Thanks Anne ! Sometimes I feel like a voice crying out in the wilderness at time on AB !