Vince Cable on Brexit today

He needs to realise how many of his party members are over 65

I took it that he doesn't want the over 65's voting for him.

Down wiv da kidz?

If he alienates the older voters the Lib Dems may find themselves truly in the wilderness.
When discussing who to vote for before the last GE, younger voters looked at me bemused when I suggested looking at the Lib Dems.

He is 75, damning older people for voting against the interests of the young - and trying to identify with the younger voter?

I used to respect Vince Cable but he's sounding increasingly like a desperate old man trying to hang on to the influence he once had by trying to identify with the younger voter.

This is not the first time VC has attacked or disparaged older people. He published an article last July in the DM blaming us for Brexit.

As a long standing member of the Libs/Lib Dems, almost exactly his age (within a few months) and also an economist I wrote to him critiquing what he had written.

I am still awaiting a reply.

This is the full speech winterwhite or anyone else who wants to read it. Quite outspoken (perhaps too outspoken in several areas) but interesting. (I’m not really trying to promote the Libdems).

www.libdemvoice.org/in-full-vince-cables-speech-to-conference-56902.html

I thought it a poor that the only attention the press paid (that I saw) to the whole Lib Dem Spring Conference last weekend was emphasising one badly worded comment of Vince Cable’s. It’s the same with all Lib Dem conferences whoever is leader. And that’s a pity.
I disagree with VC’s stance over older voters, but as for the comment itself, I just took it to be a silly way of saying that immigration was an important issue for many Leave voters.

It was one of the few times my daughter has voted.
She asked a lot of questions, listened to a lot stuff and then decided.

Totally agree with you Eleothan 're Vince Cable. I was hoping for great things from him but he has been a complete washout.

Neither did mine Jura. she said she didn’t know what she thought so she wouldn’t bother.
She won’t give blood either, just shrugs when I ask her if she’d refuse a transfusion if she needed one.
How did I get her?

Our youngest, 42, did NOT vote - I have never really discussed this with her, but I find that very difficult to fathom. Her comment was 'what difference does it make' ...

Surely with such a close result, she must realise now that it could have made ALL the difference.

Good post M0nica

I don't understand the lack of enthusiasm demonstrated by many young people for voting, particularly as they seem to be made much more aware these days of politics, the environment etc than we were when I was young.

Most people my age seemed very keen to go out and vote for the first time and have done so every since whereas many young people seem to display a lethargy or uninterest towards politics.

I must say that all the 18 - 30 year olds in my family did vote in the referendum as far as I know. Unless they told us I wouldn't ask how they voted.

MaizieD, before the referendum there was all sorts of stuff going on encouraging young people to vote and lots of excited young people saying, this was their thing and they were going to vote. Immediately after the vote a lot of pundits were saying how disappointing it was for young people that the result had been leave when so many more of them had been out to vote. Followed by a hurried back peddling when it was realised that this wasn't true.

If young people want a say they must get out and use their vote and not just sit in the corner whining. I am getting fed up with these endless, endless, excuses why some young people keep cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

Although he hasn't put it tactfully, I think Vince Cable is a little bit right in what he said. You only have to see the unseemly fuss made by some tabloid newspapers about the 'return' of the blue British passport. Yes, I know that not all over 65's voted to leave and not all under 50's voted to remain, but whenever I watch QT there is someone in the audience, over 50, shouting about how 'we' managed before we were in the EU and 'we' will manage now, in fact there have been many posters on GN saying the kinds of things that Cable has been criticised for.

I don't understand how anyone would know which party I vote for in any election and relate that to how I voted in the EU referendum. All sounds rather woolly to me. I'm not even convinced they are right about what older and younger voters did. I don't know anyone who has been asked these questions by a polling organisation and from what I read in this thread it sounds like most of us older people voted to remain. Sceptical me? Too right!

The answer lay in young people's own hands and they just couldn't be bothered.

I think this is such an annoying statement.

Why couldn't the young be bothered (if that it is actually the case?) Is it because older generations (that's us) haven't managed to teach them the value of their vote or encouraged them to show any interest in politics?

As a staunch Remainer, I’m sure there is an element of truth in what Cable said. But it’s hardly fair to blame over 65s for the Brexit vote when millions of over 65s voted Remain and millions of younger people voted Leave.

There were many different reasons for people voting Leave and lack of reliable, consistent information and a disgraceful campaign of lies didn’t help.

The whole issue was far too complex for a simple yes/no referendum. People were asked to vote and voted using heart and instinct rather than a deep understanding of Trade deals! (Even now, Liam Fox in charge of Post-Brexit Trade deals doesn’t seem to understand Trade deals.)

MaizeiD is it your opinion that Tory voters were more likely to vote leave or is that a fact? I just haven't heard that before but I don't usually do the political threads.

It's a fact, Nonnie*. It's based on analysis of the the votes after the EU referendum.

It has been widely reported ever since but I suppose if someone just voted and then took no further interest thy're not likely to have heard about it (I really am not trying to be snippy with that last statement; it's just true that lots of people haven't taken any further interest since the referendum)

GracesGran, If more young people had voted the decision would have been different. Over 40% of under 25s did not vote in the referendum against 20% of over 50s not voting.

The answer lay in young people's own hands and they just couldn't be bothered.

There are a lot of much sillier men and women out there for sure ...and a lot more dangerous.

Agreed GG.

MaizeiD is it your opinion that Tory voters were more likely to vote leave or is that a fact? I just haven't heard that before but I don't usually do the political threads.

I think VC knew exactly what he was doing. I think there is a movement to reverse the decision and this is part of it. Imo he wants us all to come out and say he is wrong so that we all start talking about the decision again and add to the call for a rethink. I think there will be a lot more of this sort of thing as the year runs on and people become more and more aware of what Brexit will mean.

I don't think he is entirely wrong. On another forum I tried to work out why the leavers had voted leave - they tended just to be loud and rude. One man did answer and said that he had lived abroad for twenty years and when he came back this was not the country he remembered!

I also think he is right to highlight the difference in opinion between the young (under 50) and the older and old. There was a difference and the older and old, with their greater numbers, have influenced the future of the young. You cannot ignore that surely?

I used to like Vince Cable but now I just think he's a silly man.