copycat Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6213238.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Kerr Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6213238.stm We are all capable of reading articles, so are we now guessing the comment you were trying to make? It was a stupid idea giving 16 year olds the right to vote, its not done in the UK because its a stupid idea, and its not done elsewhere because its a stupid idea. And voter turn out proved the point. Here you have a generation that will vote consistently for any old shite on Big Brother, Celebrity Wank Island, X factor, or any other pile-of-crap reality programme and yet could not be arsed getting off its arse to vote in a general election. Most of them claimed on these forums and elsewhere that they "Don't know how to vote, because we were not shown how to" so I can only assume that sending in a text to support some prick whose just gulped down kangaroo bollocks is more important than selecting who controls their career prospects for the next 5 years. You can bring a horse to water but you can't force it to drink, as statistics have this time proved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ayres Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 While I agree with what you say in principle, Juan, I like to think the vote at 16 is a necessary step to more 'grown up' politics on this island. Having been given the vote they are also given the right not to use it if they wish so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girl89 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Here you have a generation that will vote consistently for any old shite on Big Brother, Celebrity Wank Island, X factor, or any other pile-of-crap reality programme and yet could not be arsed getting off its arse to vote in a general election. LOL and here you have a generation who like to stereotype a whole group of people! I, amongst the majority of people I know my age, don't even vote once for any reality program. So what if 16/17 year olds didn't vote. Like the point that's been said, you don't have to use the vote, just like many 18+ people choose not to. I think the decision to allow 16 year olds to vote wasn't thought out enough. No one asked us if we would like to etc. Waste of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Kerr Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 You don't have to use the vote, just like many 18+ people choose not to. I think the decision to allow 16 year olds to vote wasn't thought out enough. No one asked us if we would like to etc. Waste of time. I am absolutely delighted to see you make both points. You are absolutely, totally correct in everything you say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 You can bring a horse to water but you can't force it to drink, as statistics have this time proved. I believe Freedom to Flourish does not mean that everyone has to take advantage of what we do differently, Freedom not to Flourish is the flip side of this for those who chose not to take advantage of changes such as under 18 voting. If voter apathy is what the under 18's want then who are we to argue, its their choice. As Girl89 says the under 18's are as free to chose not to vote as the over 18's. Freedom not to flourish politically in this instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I believe Freedom to Flourish does not mean that everyone has to take advantage of what we do differently, Freedom not to Flourish is the flip side of this for those who chose not to take advantage of changes such as under 18 voting. If voter apathy is what the under 18's want then who are we to argue, its their choice. As Girl89 says the under 18's are as free to chose not to vote as the over 18's. Freedom not to flourish politically in this instance. wtf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I think the decision to allow 16 year olds to vote wasn't thought out enough. No one asked us if we would like to etc. Waste of time. I love the irony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Kerr Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 No one asked us if we would like to etc. Waste of time. I love the irony. Perhaps they should have had a vote, on whether they wanted the vote or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 At the risk of repeating myself: The prospect of giving the vote to 16/17 year olds ought to have been in the manifestos of candidates at the 2001 election to establish whether or not there was any support for such a measure. Foisting it on everyone in the way that it was done was an undemocratic measure that can only be seen as a political gimmick. Whether we like it or not, it is now a fact of life and unlikely to change (Only genuinely democratic measures such as the Single Transferable Vote can ever be rescinded) It is now imperative that people in this age group are given the opportunity to learn about the local political system so that, by the time the next election comes around, they are able to make an informed decision - not only about who to vote for, but about whether voting is worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Perhaps, one of the people who are irrationally and perpetually bleating about this could explain why it was wrong and why it wasn't a success. Because so far I've on read are gut reactions based on pre-formed ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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