Should The Voting Age Lowered Or Rasied.....

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-politics-69059992

Sir Beer wants to lower it to 16, of course he does, it's well known that youngsters are left wing until they acquire assets. Personally I'd raise it to 21.

[Old_Geezer]

It's fine at 18. Folk have to start sometime, but it's insanity to include children as voters.

[ToraToraTora]

Personally I'd make voting dependent on contribution to society.

[gulliver1]

Judging by the idiots that voted Boris in last time. I thought it has already been lowered to 12 year olds.🤣

[Old_Geezer]

No; the idiots have left for other shores. That's why we regained sovereignty.

[davebro3]

I think 18 is OK. Youngsters these days generally are more aware than I probably was at 15/16 but there has to be cut off somewhere.

[douglas9401]

Sweeping statements re the awareness of the youth of today may be well wide of the mark.

It's still smoking, swearing, drinking and shagging.

[sandyRoe]

I sometimes think we treat the franchise too lightly.

35, or perhaps 40, would allow people to have matured enough to do their duty in the polling booth.

[davebro3]

//It's still smoking, swearing, drinking and shagging.//

Wish I was! 😂

[New Judge]

"35, or perhaps 40, would allow people to have matured enough to do their duty in the polling booth."

I agree, Sandy. Around 35 to 40 (when they no longer know everything) seems about right.

[jourdain2]

I would propound the case for raising the voting age to 23.

Reason: I could not vote until 21 but there was a good reason for that. I was fortunate in that I stayed at school until A levels and then went on to further education. 

BUT I was part of a small minority because most people left school at the age of 16 latest, quite  a lot left at 14 to pursue apprenticeships. This meant that those voting had life experience, wages to earn and ( the vast majority) families to house and feed.

23 is now the age when an awful lot of people finish education and have to manage to support themselves for a couple of years.  T.B.H. it should probably be 25 in order to get responsible voting citizens who know what life is about.  The populace has been infantilised, so grows up later.  Q.E.D.

[Deskdiary]

As TTT says, this idea is often of the Left because they know the young tend to more left-leaning. I know I was.

 

You have to be 18 to be considered an adult, so the idea of allowing children to vote is nuts. It's been said in the past that if they vote at 16 they'll be mid-way through a term by the time they are 18. My view on that is "so what" given they'll have a chance to vote in the next one. It is absurd to think that a child is allowed to vote, but they can't go into a pub to buy a pint.

 

And if 16, why not 14?

 

It is a thoroughly daft idea.

[237SJ]

I don't have a problem with it.  Kids mature earlier these days and are quite political.  If you can marry at 16 and go into the armed services at 16 then I don't see why you should be denied a vote at 16.

[webbo3]

That great, so I'm assuming any 16 years olds will now be treated as an adult and named if they comit a serious crime like murder or rape and this also means Shamima Begum is sensible at 16 and knew what she was doing and can stay where she is.

[webbo3]

237SJ

\\I don't have a problem with it.  Kids mature earlier these days and are quite political.  If you can marry at 16 and go into the armed services at 16 then I don't see why you should be denied a vote at 16.//

 

Yes they can join the army but not in a combat role

[Deskdiary]

You can't marry at 16 without parental consent, because 16 year olds are children. You cannot fight on the front line at 16.

 

You cannot buy a pint in a pub at 16.

 

You cannot buy a packet of fags at 16.

 

You cannot get a tattoo at 16.

 

Other than what are known as "necessities" , you cannot enter a contract at 16.

 

The reason 16 year olds can't do these things is because they are children, so they idea that they can vote for people who shape laws that 16 year olds can't do is just plain nuts.

[jno]

time to restore the property-owning qualification, I think, renters have no real stake in society. This probably means extra votes for oligarchs, but fair enough, they should be entitled to have more say than squatters.

[Deskdiary]

Why has this idea arisen that 16 year olds nowadays mature quicker and are more politically savvy?

 

They are not.

 

My daughter, in one of the top universities in the UK (and doing a proper degree) isn't particularly politically savvy.

 

My 15 year old, and his mates, aren't in the slightest politically savvy. The idea that my son, if the election was later in the year, should be allowed to vote is laughable.

[jno]

I'm not sure political savviness should be a factor; it's seldom shown by over-16s.

Remember, TTT voted for Liz Truss as PM

[ToraToraTora]

18:14, fair enough DD but I bet when you got assets you quickly changed sides.

[Mozz71]

It seems to me a lot of the opposition to this is based around nothing more than "I'm afraid they'll vote for the other lot".