It's the start of term. And wet. And my son had left his bike at the station. So he asked me if I'd take him to the station so that he could get into college in Cambridge on time, which I admit I do not do very often. And I agreed.
My reward was a tirade about how unjust it is that he, as a 17-year-old with a lifetime of living with Brexit ahead of him, will not get the vote at a general election that will decide that issue.
And he's right. Of course, I'm biased about him: that's a father's duty. But I'm not about his friends. And he, and they, are more than capable of making an informed decision on what they want from a government, and their future.
It's a farce that they will be denied a vote on an issue so important for them.
I'll add it to the list of long-overdue electoral reforms that a new government must deal with.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
And yet 16-17 year olds can vote for Boris Johnson if they are Tory party members.
I have reservations about votes for 16-17 year olds, but I think the arguments (in my head) either way are balanced for and against – I’d give them a vote on whether they want to vote or not.
That was one of the big things about the Scottish independence referendum, to allow 16 & 17 yr olds a vote on a constitutional issue that will most definitely impact the rest of their lives. You can get married at 16, so it seems madness you can’t decide your future in other ways (for some anyway,,,). In fact, I think the principle of anyone that lives here and contributes to society should be allowed to vote is a good one. That may have affected the referendum in favour of the Union, but even so, nearly everyone agrees it’s a fair way to do it. Propaganda and the breaking of electoral rules, of course, had the biggest effect on the outcome. As we have seen, politicians seem to think nothing of cheating to get their own way. I am still curious about the 99% return (turn out) on postal votes that happened from an area in London in the EU referendum, there has not been much of an analysis on how this is possible. Turn out in postal votes is usually the same as that of polling station votes, but no questions have been asked by those in power.
16-17 years olds can vote in Scottish elections and could vote in the independence referendum.
And Scotland is better for it
Agreed.
Why should people who have yet to make a life be dominated by those who have already made one at the ballot box?
I mean come on……………think it through. And better policies will follow on in all areas of our lives.
Let’s get it done.
Tell him he can move to Scotland where 16 and 17 year olds can vote in Local and Holyrood elections. The SNP asked if they could also be allowed to vote in GE’s and EU elections but Westminster declined.
This was initially because in Crofting Council elections 16 and 17 year olds can vote since you can legally take up a crofting lease at 16. This is part of the local government system in Scotland.
Part of the problem of the SNP/Greens using a GE as an indyref is that 16 and 17 year olds and EU citizens, key constituencies for Yes cannot vote in a GE. We would have to weaponise a Holyrood vote, probably on the List. Vote for a Yes Alliance candidate or a No Alliance candidate (can the Unionist parties agree to stand together?).
Jersey has a voting age of 16 which is surprisingly progressive in this place.
But we cannot vote in UK or EU elections (unless we have recent residence in the UK) although many decisions made in Westminster and Europe apply here.
I have every sympathy with your son, and I’m also very surprised to see how quiet most youngsters are about the whole shambles we’re going through at the moment.
Considering they’ll have to live with the consequences of what their elders are committing I’d have have expected a few rumbles on the streets…but they’re largely absent from demonstrations or campaigns.
If we gives the vote to 16 year olds, we should also ensure that they learn, through school, what the institutions they’re voting for are doing on their behalf, how much power they have, or don’t have, to change people’s lives.
Civic education should be mandatory for future citizens, just like financial education (basic budgeting) should be mandatory for future bank users and salary earners.
Older people may or may not, as is abundantly apparent, have learnt this from life experience.
An informed 16 year old, who after all can legally smoke, get married, work, pay taxes, have children, and start learning to drive, should also be allowed the right to decide how and by whom those decisions to grant her/him these rights are made.
Educating people on civic rights and duties is essential, but not enough.
They can choose to ignore them but if they do, they must know and face the consequences too.
They can also be made aware of the limitations of our institutions and decide whether they want to try and change those limits, or not.