16 year olds to be given the right to vote…….yes or no?

It probably doesn’t matter much in the end as I bet very few will bother going to vote on the day and only do a postal vote if parents badger them.Young people at the moment 18 to 25 hardly bother themselves about it so why would 16 year olds.
Cynical, moi?

😁

Just a tad too young to vote at 16 I think. 18 is about right

Mollygo, with reference to your post Sun 20-Jul-25 05:00:10, it indicates a very problematic approach, rooted in bias, with implications for fairness and human rights. You have identified a group, proffered characteristics for the whole group, telling us you believe they apply to this group in a way they don't to others.

I find it so hard to believe that you don't understand where this sort if thinking comes from. Where is your education, your understanding of democracy, your knowledge of the harms done by stereotyping a group. These young people you ridicule are our future, even our lives, and yet they are not "you" enough to vote.

I am ashamed to belong to the group easily identified as "the old" when I read what some GN members write. But I have no choice. Just as the Jews, homosexuals, women, people of colour and young people have had no choice when prejudicial characterists, applied stereotyping and bias have been used against them. Why did our parents ever think that it was worth fighting for democracy when this is what we hear from those who grew up with the benefits of that war?

Of course I can believe and know that we do not all, by a long way, entertain such thinking and that no teacher of today would allow such prejudice to go unchallenged. So many of the young will learn not to mimic grandparents. And, like Pandora, I have hope but that hope wears thin when I read some of these posts.

gangy5

Starmer really isn't with it ! After announcing this absolutely insane idea he stated that many youngsters of this age were working and paying tax. My understanding is that the majority are in education until the age of 18. In any case they most likely would not be earing enough to pay tax. NO NO NO

Why don't you check your facts! You must know your own bias so surely it's even more important to get your facts right when expressing that bias. Starmer is a man if the law and, like him or loath him he is likely to get his facts right and he has.

13 to 16-year-olds: Can undertake certain types of work, such as part-time jobs, with restrictions on the hours and types of work they can do. They are protected by laws that limit working hours and conditions to ensure their education and well-being are not affected.

Young people aged 16 and 17: Can work more hours and in a wider range of jobs, but there are still regulations to protect their health and safety.

As for tax, the youngest and the poorest all pay tax. They pay VAT.

So who is, as you put it, not "with it".

Interesting post Mamie. Thank you.

PN 🤣🤣🤣
You are so funny. You write an essay using the blanketing terms that I think are wrong, and accrediting me with things I haven’t said. But that’s your right, so do carry on.

Facts regarding 16 year olds and employment in UK:

*A 16 year old can work for 8 hours per day, up to a maximum of 40 hours per week.

As part of this they must undertake 280 hours *per year of learning or education - known as Guided Learning Hours (GLH).

*These training hours can be arranged flexibly to fit around work commitments, potentially through distance learning or in blocks.

So, a 16 year old can work full time which, at current minimum wage for that age group, would generally put them above the threshold for paying tax.

And, of course, as previously mentioned, every time they buy something they’re paying tax.

Mamie

For those concerned about political education in schools, this is from the National Curriculum. The formatting has gone a bit awry, but I think it should be perfectly clear that this is a statutory requirement for all secondary schools.

Citizenship programmes of study:
key stages 3 and 4

National curriculum in England
Purpose of study

A high-quality citizenship education helps to provide pupils with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society. In particular, citizenship education should foster pupils’ keen awareness and understanding of democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld.
Teaching should equip pupils with the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh
evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. It should also prepare pupils to take their place in society as responsible citizens, manage their money well and make sound
financial decisions.

Aims
The national curriculum for citizenship aims to ensure that all pupils acquire a sound knowledge and understanding of how the United Kingdom is governed, its political system and how citizens participate actively in its democratic
systems of government
 develop a sound knowledge and understanding of the role of law and the justice system in our society and how laws are shaped and enforced
 develop an interest in, and commitment to, participation in volunteering as well as otherforms of responsible activity, that they will take with them into adulthood
 are equipped with the skills to think critically and debate political questions, to enable them to manage their money on a day-to-day basis, and plan for future financial needs.

Yes I posted that on Thursday 17th at 21:28.

Mollygo

PN 🤣🤣🤣
You are so funny. You write an essay using the blanketing terms that I think are wrong, and accrediting me with things I haven’t said. But that’s your right, so do carry on.

Mollygo, I apologise if I accredited something you didn't say or infer to the wrong person. Would you be able to tell me what they were?

Yes from me.

Do you like old people PoliticsNerd ? It frequently doesn’t feel like you do.You often refer scathingly to ‘grannies’ and their views not mattering.Bizarre really when you must be an older person yourself on a Gransnet forum.
Young people are the future it’s true but that doesn’t make them knowledgeable as yet about anything.We all have young people within our circles and love them to bits, but it doesn't mean we have to agree about handing them the vote.

Bizarre really when you must be an older person yourself on a Gransnet forum. Not necessarily, Oreo 🙂

I am both a granny and of an age that most would consider "old", Oreo.

I don't like or dislike people because of their age or any other defining feature. I like most people, but for themselves, not because I can fit them into any group.

I find those who continually make personal attacks reminiscent of the infant school playground, but I never doubt that even that the may have redeeming features; its just tiresome at the time. I always believe everyone, even those who display the worst mankind can do to one another, will have some good in them.

Even those who write clickbait headings and read the wrong kinds of newspapers?

Surely there’s no good in those who fail to read respectable newspapers?
#yesiamjoking

Even those Allira. We must all endeavour to remember that everyone must have some good in them.

As that is your opinion of what I have written not mine, only you can answer your question Allira.

Oreo

Surely there’s no good in those who fail to read respectable newspapers?
#yesiamjoking

It has long since ceased to be funny Oreo.

How can it be long, I only just posted it 😁

Mollygo

Even those Allira. We must all endeavour to remember that everyone must have some good in them.

I simply answered a question as honestly as I could Mollygo. I do wonder why you feel the need to try and make fun of it. As I answered Oreo's question perhaps you can tell me what your problem is?

As any good psychologist would tell us "You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always choose how you respond to it." Perhaps if I understood your problem a little better I would be able to respond in a way that stopped the directly personal attacks.

I don’t think that me or mollygo have any problems, but kind of you to ask.

You certainly seem to have problems with me Oreo. I'd wouldn't like to think this is normal behaviour but nor do I set out to upset you, whereas your repeated singling me out for attack does appear to be deliberate.

No problem with you or anyone else PN if I may call you that. I was curious as to age I must say but you’ve answered that, also amused by the less respectable newspapers thing.

Thank you for you explanation Oreo. I'm not unhappy with PN but do appreciate you asking.