Votes at 16 in the Assembly
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Posts
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No matter how I read it, I don’t understand what Ioan means by winner’s democracy. Isn’t that what democracy is about? A majority decision.
So 16 year olds will vote in then next Assembly Elections, will be interesting to see if that improves the turnout and which party they favour.
[quote quote=177465]No matter how I read it, I don’t understand what Ioan means by winner’s democracy. Isn’t that what democracy is about? A majority decision.[/quote]
I’m guessing it’s the whole merits of our current system – First Past the Post vs other forms of electoral representation – e.g. PR Proportional Representation.
With PR, in principal every vote counts because all parties get a slice of the political pie – even if they only return a single candidate.
Further to my last post I see that democracy can be changed by altering the demographics of the voting populace by means of age & nationality.
[quote quote=177425]I’d be happy with it set at 16, as politicians’ decisions affect them and their future eg education and climate change. A good way to encourage civic responsibility.[/quote]
By that logic, babies should be given the right to vote.
[quote quote=177483]Further to my last post I see that democracy can be changed by altering the demographics of the voting populace by means of age & nationality.[/quote]
Shouldn’t the democratic base be as wide as possible? I’m not sure why it should be restrictive and exclusive. Can you imagine what the same types of people would have been saying back in the day about restricting the vote.
In 1918, all men over 21 and some women over 30 won the right to vote, and in 1928 all women over 21 won the right to vote resulting in universal suffrage.
So what sort of disparaging remarks would have been tossed out about the lack of mental capacity of 29 year old women who’d have already started a family and ran a home to vote.
Then it took to 1969 for 18 year olds to get the vote. Quite simply baffling. They’d have been allowed to handle machine guns and grenades in both World Wars and kill for their country but not allowed to vote.
As for nationality – what would where you were born have anything on your ability and judgement to vote? There are English who vote in Wales and vice versa, should that be blocked? What happens if you have freedom of movement and say you are Polish and you’ve lived and worked here for 10 years? Are you not qualified to get a say?
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By that logic, babies should be given the right to vote.[/quote]Good job Emily Davison threw herself under the King’s Horse so that women had the equal right to restrict or mock others who want to get suffrage.
Well it doesn’t seem like a very strong logical leap to me. Babies know nothing whereas if we are to consider our schooling system anything worth its salt – then between the ages of 3 and 16 children have been taught everything they essentially need to know to become adults and effectively move into the world of work and start a family.
The argument that these individuals at school-leaving age are a bit wet behind the ears is a moot point because quite frankly I consider the vast majority of the populous to not be able to make a decent enough decision politically – regardless of age – but that doesn’t mean I seek to prevent them from exercising their democratic right to vote in whichever way they see fit.
It’s always going to be convenient to blame someone for democracy not going your way and we always do don’t we – foreigners, the young, the old, working class, middle class, Little Englanders, Londoners, the Scottish, Bleeding Heart Lefties, Right Wingers, Centrists.
The broader the tapestry, the closer we are going to get to representing everyone in this country.
What a stupid comment.
Strange how some people think it is wonderful that some young men lied about their age to join the forces during WW1 and 2 and consider them hero’s but in other circumstances, like voting, they are considered not to be capable.
So you believe that Shamima Begun should be allowed to return to the UK according to your comment?
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