EU referendum and older voters

Martin Lewis from Moneysupermarket said something interesting last night.
He said forget about all the hype, just think about your attitude to risk. Nobody actually knows what will happen, whatever they tell you. It's all guesswork.

It is more risky to vote out, so if you do not mind taking a risk, vote out.
Otherwise vote in.

Thanks, dj, re electoral register age differences in Scotland. However, that is not the issue. It was said that parents can't register their teenage kids. My argument is that, with the teenager's signature, they still can. I have recently done it so clearly it can be done.

So I'm still puzzled as to why so many young people are apparently not registered to vote.

Universities may not be able to block register students in the way they used to, possibly because individuals' signatures are required.

thatbags The rules in Scotland re voting are different.

The Citizens Advice site says:

"In Scotland, you can register to vote if you are 15 years old or over (and in some cases 14 years old). From 2016, you will be eligible to vote in Scottish Parliament and Scottish local government elections once you are 16. You will be eligible to vote in UK and European elections once you are 18."

I'm not sure how it works but presumably because the person in question is not at that moment eligible to vote their parent/guardian has to register on their behalf.

Thank you for your comments. My daughter is 41 and does vote. I tend to distrust all politicians; Obama included, who has his own agenda. I thought Robert Preston's 'Tonight - In or Out' the most enlightening programmes. The conclusion that we "go with our gut feeling" seems, for me the correct path.

A lot of young voters don't register because they don't think voting gets them anywhere. There should be a really concerted effort to get them to at least register even if they then choose not to vote. I certainly know the Labour Party has put out many reminders to the public in general that there is a deadline and that this is a crucial vote.
I was shocked to hear that, in the North of Ireland which traditionally has a high turn out, many young people are not going to vote because they do not see things changing there. I was also shocked at the number prepared to vote out over there but I gather that has less to do with the EU and more to do with internal politics. I try to convince the young of all parts of the UK I meet that nothing changes if you just sit back and do nothing and to at least register and give themselves the choice.

I am not sure I understand "go with gut feeling". Does it mean that you make a choice free from any thought or consideration of the evidence? What actually informs a gut instinct?
Can I also ask whether Brexiters genuinely think that the UK economy is robust enough to withstand a lengthy period of uncertainty?

You are confident that the family will vote the same as you dj, most young people I know vote the exact opposite of their parents just to assert their individuality. Obviously DD has an agenda as she lives in Europe and it is in her interests to stay in but I will be voting out.

I am confident because we discuss it, and they know what I think, as well as me knowing what they think.
My 14 year old grandson cannot understand why I do not vote the same way as my parents used to. I tell him that it's because I think carefully about things, and about other people.
My grandson is Danish, as is his mother. My other son has a Spanish wife.
His children have a grandfather who is Norwegian and a grandmother who is American.
I am sure people will tell me I've said this before, but there is no reason for any of my immediate family to vote out.

Yes but.... Given the way life expectancy is rising, someone in their 60s and even 70s may have 30 years of life ahead of them. That is plenty of time to face the consequences of the decision of the referendum.

Monica / Tricia89 you are perfectly correct we don't know how long we have on this earth 10, 20, or even 30 years or more. We do however know that it is today's younger generation needing that employment stability that will face the greatest problems if the older people make the wrong decision mainly because of nt heir prejudices.
I for one will not take a gamble with young people's future employment opportunities, now I am retired . I do not have that right, so I shall stay with the status quo which I believe is far more stable for my grandchildren's and others future. My vote is there for staying in. Tricia I can understand your views but please do think about future generations

But surely, regardless of age, any decision we make will be made on the basis of what is good for society as a whole, which includes everyone from birth to death. What is best for young people, bringing them economic success and the chance to live fulfilled lives must surely be good for older people as well. Few if any grandparent would vote for something that is disadvantageous to their children and grand children.

The problem is younger people rail at the old in the way, Tricia's daughter did, but they are the group least like to vote. They cannot have it both ways.

However, after saying all that, all the arguments about out/in are based on what is in the Britain's best interests and this is subjective, trying to forecast the way the country will develop in the future.

I and all my family are inners, but I can understand why some people think differently.

I believe my 'gut feeling' or 'instinct' is better than all the hype/propaganda.
Its what has got me through life thus far.
These are the same politicians that have told us in the past how to live our lives. How to bring up our children. Ruined our education system and NHS. Sold our gold at an all time low.
I am talking about politicians not any party in particular.
So for me its my 'gut instinct' as its better than trying to sort out the wood from the chaff.

There are so many threads on the same subject I am getting bewildered which to post on.

As an older person I ask myself should I really gamble with my grandchildren's future and job prospect, also should I' consider the risks of restriction of movement within the eu and effect of imposing closed borders in Europe upon them? Leaving the EU would not happen immediately, but it would have an affect on job prospects and the lack of investment because of insecurity lcould be really disastrous.

No I do not feel that I do have the right right to take such a gamble with younger peoples future at my time of life. I really do worry how long it would take for the UK to get back to normality if we opt out, and possibility of it resulting in the loss of 1,000's of jobs. Also do I want my holidays on the continent to be restricted by border controls and customs, no I don't.? Nor do I believe leaving the EU is all about immigrants. The U.K has 2 million of its own citizens living in various parts of Europe,, what happens to them,? There are far to many barriers and dangers in the path of an easy UK transition, if we were to opt out as well as the gamble with future generations job prospects along with the restriction on their freedom of movement within the EU.

Therefore I shall vote for status quo and staying in. I desire a safer Eurupe and not any small minded Nationalism that brought about WW1 & WW2.

I also fear for the UK also if that the English know best attitude so often heard in these columns, will also create such a divide that we would soon see the start of the break up of the UK. I am not prepared to gamble with that nor with younger generations future, for the sake of such vague promises from the Out brigade, just because they are not prepared to allow Britain to play a leading role in the future of the eu.

The cost of being in the EU is around 1% in the £ . With millions coming back to support our LEP's and Uni research along with economic development programmes and resources to support Active AGEING and reducing loneliness.

How can we take such stupid risks at our time of life on the jBritish economy bouncing back very quickly, most experts say it will take getting on for two decades. What happens to jobs in the meantime?

We need to be very positive and play a leading role in Eurupe rather than be outsiders struggling to create new markets and trade to bring back the jobs and industries we lost in the meantime by pulling out of the eu.

Cherrytree,

Are you proposing abolishing politicians, because it's our own MPs who sold our gold and 'ruined' education and the NHS?

I'm not sure what you mean about 'bringing up our children', but I'm not aware of any EU interference.

So how would leaving the EU be better?

Granddaughter,

I wish GN had a 'hug' emoticon, because I'd give you one.

Excellent post, Granddaughter. You should put it on all the other threads, too.

Why do you assume that the people who want to stay in the EU are putting their grandchildren's future first and the people who want to leave are putting themselves first and not the their GC ??

If its true that its the older people that want to leave , could it not be that they have experienced both ways and therefore more are actually more qualified to make a choice?

Oops too many 'mores'

Good question, cherrytree. I've been wondering the same myself about that assumption that out voters don't care about their grandchildren's future as Europeans (but not necessarily in an EU country) and global citizens. That assumption shows a remarkable disability to imagine there being another valid point of view, of a tendency to see all issues in plain black and white, right or wrong, with no subtlety. All well, that's how it goes with some people.

inability

Totally agree with Cerrytree and thatbags re the generation question/debate.

That's not what I assumed, cherrytree. My question to you was why you think the UK's own politicians wouldn't ruin education and health. They were the ones who ruined them with absolutely no help from the EU. Gordon Brown didn't need prompting from the EU to sell the UK's gold either. I'm baffled by the logic.

What was better about life in the UK before it became an EU member? You're obviously older than I am, because I don't remember it being better.

I think I posted on another thread that I had asked younger people with whom I had come into contact what their views were - and their answers surprised me. They were mainly in the 30-50 age group as I don't know many teenagers and a high proportion of them were for Brexit. Most were not relatives btw.

I do think that we need to look at the long-term but knowing what the future holds whichever way the vote goes is impossible to know whatever pundits predict, not just as far as the EU goes but globally, which will have far more influence on our futures in fact.

I would imagine that most older people are voting with their children and grandchildren's interests in mind, I certainly am, which is why I will be voting OUT.
I imagine that those IN voters will be feeling the same.

There is a move to suggest that anyone who votes out is a "Kipper" - but I think there are many who wish to leave who are thinking more carefully and critically.

It has to be said that the information being peddled by both sides is not clear - each of their statements is open to different interpretations depending on which pundit you listen to.

djen
What you posted about Martin Lewis is interesting.