How would you feel if your 16 year old DS wanted to become a 'young conservative'

[BigSandyBalls2015]

That is all!
Opinions please.

I would be pleased that he was taking an interest and learning about politics and developing his education, rather than parroting all of the tired old clichés that a lot of the old tired posters up there ^^ repeat ad nauseum.

It wouldn't bother me - we have to accept in this country we have a right to vote and should try and respect everyone's opinions.

Also at least he's showing interest in the world around him and may gain more of an insight into which is actually the right party for him through what he learns now.

Utterly shocked and disgusted.
We come from a strong generation of working class labour voters.

BertandRussell - it came across as though you would be equally upset if your child voted conservative or watched porn! 😂

purplegreen - I agree entirely. Frankly I think that there are few things that indicates more strongly that you've done a bad job as a parent than if your adult child spouts your political beliefs without questioning them. So if my teenager wanted to join YC, I would be very pleased that I had at the very least raised an independently-minded young person.

Fascinating that people seem to think that those of us who would be disappointed have children who don't question family orthodoxy. Have any of you ever lived with politically aware and active teenagers??????

Give over Bertrand, comparing things directly or comparing your disappointment in them is much of a muchness. Unless you qualify things then it comes across that you are saying they're just as bad.

Utterly shocked and disgusted.
We come from a strong generation of working class labour voters

So did most of Scotland, look at the labour party there now.

Awwlookatmybabyspider - god forbid people having different thoughts than their parents! The horror 😂

But lots of people think watching porn is fine, don't they? You can't really say that's a kind of universal yardstick we all agree is terrible, and so it's inappropriate to compare it with anything else - it clearly isn't!

Then my answer would be yes you are intolerant, closed minded and unpleasant!

Wow, shop much name calling just because someone doesn't share your opinion.

"BertandRussell - it came across as though you would be equally upset if your child voted conservative or watched porn! "

I would be disappointed if he did either. Which according to you makes me-what was it? Closed minded, intolerant and I can't remember the other thing.......

Is this all coming from Tories who get annoyed that people exercise their own free will and personal choice to dislike everything the Tories stand for?

We do live in a democracy, you know! People are allowed to find certain ideologies utterly abhorrent if they want to!

Slarti - her words not mine! 😂

If my child supported Conservative policy on disability, education, health, the economy etc I really would be seriously disappointed and feel that something had gone badly wrong with my parenting. I would hate to have brought up someone who seriously thinks it's OK to treat the disabled the way the Conservatives do.

BertrandRussell - again your words not mine 😂

Anyone would think it's the BNP given some of the responses on here.

No Seek, I'm not a Tory, voted Labour at the last election and firmly against Brexit.

To their face - supportive and encouraging. It would make for interesting debates. Great that they're interested in politics.

Privately - gutted that I'd raised someone with such little consideration or care for the most vulnerable and poor in society.

Seek - Green voter here! (Pointless I know) 😂

I don't get why people are so astounded and horrified that many parents would be disappointed to see their child embrace an ideology they personally find abhorrent, then. How is that so hard to understand?

It does not mean we wouldn't love them, or that anything would change except that arguments over dinner might be more heated! But many people would be disappointed. This seems reasonable!

To be honest, I'm surprised that all 16 year school kids these days ARE NOT hammer and sickle wielding marxists - given the propoganda they get in schools, taught by almost exlusively left wing teachers.

M4Dad have you been in an Academy or Free School lately? Some are great, but some are incredibly status-driven, corporate, and absolutely hardline on unthinking compliance at any cost. The teachers are often as cowed as the kids. The idea that our children are being taught by free-thinking lefty hippies and Marxists is about 30 years out of date (and it wasn't true then, either).

I'm wondering how many of the Conservative supporters/voters on this thread are actually members of the CP.

If you were, you'd know that there is a very real problem about membership, particularly young membership, at the moment.

The effect of that is that the CP is at risk of being driven by quite unconstitutional forces.

Whatever you, or I, may think about Momentum et al, there is a surge in Labour Party membership at the moment, particularly amongst the young.

I really think that Conservative voters need to get involved in their party of choice and see for themselves what is going on.

I know conservatives who are passionate about the most vulnerable in society, including setting up charities to help them etc. I don't fully understand why they vote conservative, but I would never doubt their sincerity or basic goodness. They just have a different ideology to how that should be achieved.

I think a more interesting question might be "how would you feel if your 16 year old joined the YCs and voted for Boris or Rees-Mogg to be leader".

Would anyone here be pleased by that? Even the hardline Tories here?