In 1969, the voting age was lowered to 18. Today, five decades later, less than half that age bothers.
The truth is the vast majority of young don’t give a toss about politics. Never have, never will. Good for them. Music, drugs and mates are much more important.
So, the idea of lowering voting age to 16-years-old is a waste of time and shows how desperate Labour are to find something to grab a headline.
Angela Rayner thought it was a vote winner. Actually, I think it’s a vote loser. If either the Tories or Reform decide to increase the voting age to 21 I suspect many older voters will put their X next to them.
Why did Rayner at 16. Why not go down to 11. Or even 5.
There is no intellectual justification. The argument I sometimes hear is that if you can fight for your country you can vote in it. I don’t agree. In these difficult times there is a damn good argument for national service, but no argument for pushing 16-year-olds into the front line.
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Our armed services should not be recruiting teenagers. They too should not fire a gun until they were 21.
To be given the vote should be considered an important day. Not the same as the day you signed up to Netflix. But it’s no big deal because you don’t have achieved anything in your life.
Breathing is enough. Criminals can vote. And the fact that 16-year-old in Scotland and Wales are already allowed to vote is surely enough to tell that we don’t want it here. We don’t want to end up like them.
I think it will blow up spectacularly on Labour. Like everything else they touch. If Corbyn ever comes out of his cage with his new party, it will be him and not slimy Starmer that benefits from the TikTok generation.
As will Nigel Frage who is already a hit on social media with the young and can expect to benefit.
Angela Rayner says they will ‘’break down the barriers to participation’’. No, they won’t. Most 16-year-olds will not vote, and nor should they.
They are not properly participating in society. Most won’t be in work and their lives will be subsidised by their parents. What are they doing to make a contribution to society?
Without their family they wouldn’t be able afford to live in a tent. When they go out on their own, paying rent or mortgage, that is the time having the vote will matter.
In fact, you are seeing a lot of children returning home for the first time because life is so expensive. When they are making a contribution rather than taking, that should be the time the vote should be handed over.
Another poor idea from Starmer. He doesn’t possess the common touch. Has no popular feeling. The biggest mistake was giving Starmer the vote last year. We’ll be paying for that for the next four years.