AIBU to consider there should be an age limit for presidency/prime minister?

[FrenchBulldogsareFab]

Witnessing Joe Biden at news briefings is painful.

I don't agree with an age limit - you can be sharp as a tack at 85 or getting a bit fuzzy at 60! Perhaps there ought to be independent assessment by a medical team to prove fitness for office.
A bad decision by someone who is unfit but in a position of power can result in thousands of lives being lost - there should be some checks and balances for that level of power.
I hate to say it but maybe some IQ tests for politicians too - we seem to have people as thick as mince determining the course of millions of lives.

I'm really in two minds. I understand your reasoning but it seems a little bit undemocratic.

I think Socrates was quite right to be very wary of universal suffrage. He thought too many people were too uneducated to understand the importance of their vote. He thought universal suffrage would lead to populist politicians who would make poor decisions ......

we seem to have people as thick as mince determining the course of millions of lives.

But that's what the voters wanted.

I think... I think maybe it should be like serving in the police or military. You're in charge of a lot of people in life and death situations, so there should be a basic fitness test, to protect all parties concerned. I'm not sure if there should be/needs to be age limit, but there are other things which should be ticked off.

I mean, if you look at our PMs before and after, they all look wrecked. It's such a stressful job, and mental stress leaks out into physical stress, so you need a fitter baseline than a 'normal' 'office' type job. It's not just about shuffling papers, you can go from signing off on mundane policies to deciding whether or not your country should go to war.

I'm not sure what exactly the requirements should be, but I think if you got them right, age would be irrelevant.

I don't think there should be any limits on who you can vote for.

The trouble with Bien he was the less unpopular of a presidential race where a heck of a lot of people didnt want either candidate as president.

The question isn't so much age, but why the choice was between two bad candidates. And I think that's a risk in for all presidential elections (when president is more than figurehead)

More checks and balances about who becomes PM its leader of party who wins election, and perceived appeal to electorate is a factor in who ge s selected. Each party does itnslightly differently, and I reckon it's Labour's processes which are most likely to lead to a divisive leader

Really the single simplest solution is to immediately disqualify anyone who stands - a desire to rule should be the number one bar to office.

Sortition seems a more equitable system Given the wide spectrum iof criticism of other systems here, it can hardly be worse can it ?

You actually have to be at least 35 to become the US president, so if there was an upper age limit of 65-70, that excludes a hell of a lot of people.

I do agree that a basic fitness (physical and mental) test would be more important than age.

Yes, I do. I’d be amazed if Biden makes the four years in full. Not suggesting anything life ending, but I just don’t see him finishing the term.

But that's what the voters wanted

Not really. People can only vote for the candidates presented. At least if the really thick ones were filtered out, the people could still choose but with an outcome where ability to understand the complex issues of govt was more likely.

In the US the choice be between two poor candidates leads to vast power being in the hands of an individual incapable of wielding it - in a country that size there has to be a better way.
In the UK, we've maybe been fooled by the expensive education our leaders have enjoyed - the posh accents have tricked us into assuming the ruling class actually know how to rule.

If I was in charge of Eton, I'd be embarrassed by what I'd let loose on the nation.
Stanley Johnson should ask for his money back!

He puts me to sleep if I'm honest.