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Brexit

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

to think the ageism because the old voted for Brexit is disgusting.

155 replies

mamamea · 25/06/2016 07:13

It is 2016, the over 60's voted resoundingly in Brexit.

The young voted for Bremain.

However.... in 1975 today's over 60s were young people, and they voted heavily for Bremain, to stay within the Common Market. Those youthful Bremain voters have had the benefit of 40+ years of experience and have therefore changed their minds. Same people, different opinion.

AIBU to think it that the criticisms of the old for voting for Brexit are ageist nonsense (e.g., I have seen things such as saying that the young have longer to live, so their opinion counts more than some old people whom we will shortly have to bury anyway), and that elderly votes are every bit as valid as young ones.

OP posts:
Brexit · 25/06/2016 22:32

We are allowed to live in that London when we are young and lovely but the minute age starts to toy with us we have to pack up and head off up the A1or the M6.

JuxtapositionRecords · 25/06/2016 22:58

So, assuming from your post you are in the older age bracket brexit, why did you vote leave?

MarklahMarklah · 25/06/2016 23:03

I have friends who range in age from early 20's to late 70's. Of the 50 or so people I've spoken to in the last week, 3 of them voted leave. They are all aged 40-55.
Everyone over 60 that I have spoken to had voted remain.
Everyone under 40 that I have spoken to had voted remain.

I've seen a lot of posts since with many who voted leave saying "If I had known XYZ then I'd have voted remain." This suggests to me that perhaps a little more research to allow an informed decision could have been a good idea.

howabout · 26/06/2016 22:31

Interesting Boney I would be willing to bet the students and new graduates with prospects in London voted and the rest of the young represent the disaffected youth who would in fact likely be for Brexit but have given up being shouted down and so stayed home, especially since JC was on the wrong side and he is the only one speaking for them ever.

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 26/06/2016 22:34

I don't like ageism

But those memes on Facebook saying that they fought the world war for us . Bullshit ! They would have to be in their mid 90s for that to be the case ! But yeah Giles Coren write a nasty thing in The Times yesterday saying this drivel

lovelyupnorth · 26/06/2016 22:35

The saving grace is the fuckers will have no one to wipe there arses when then end up in a home.

We seem to miss the point we have an ageing population we need inward migration to keep the money running and jobs filled.

BoneyBackJefferson · 26/06/2016 22:36

howabout

I have no idea about which demographic within the age group voted and who didn't. but I did read somewhere that those that went to glastonbury didn't vote, so I wonder how many just couldn't be bothered.

TheNaze73 · 26/06/2016 22:44

As a Bremainer voter & canvasser, I've been appalled by some of the mud thrown at the older generation. Whatever their reasons for voting out (can't comment personally as to why??) however, the majority have paid their taxes & shaped The country over the years.
The bitterness from some of my fellow In voters now, is beyond unclassy, it's bordering on embarrassing.

Woodhill · 26/06/2016 22:46

I didn't vote for TB and think NL have a lot to answer for.

juneau · 26/06/2016 22:51

The facts are the facts though. The older generation overwhelmingly voted for Brexit (all the older members of my family except my dad - average age 70), and they won't have to live with the consequences of that decision for anywhere as long as the rest of us. They've thrown those of us younger than them under the bus. Most of them aren't working any more, so why would they care that many of us of working age are going to lose our jobs? I'm not ageist any more than I'm sexist or racist or any other -ist, but when one group - old or young - votes overwhelmingly for something that's going to cause huge amounts of damage to other generations then its not, IMO, ageist to point that out.

Floisme · 26/06/2016 22:58

I agree it's not ageist to analyse voting habits according to age. But if it's correct that only 25% of 18-24 year olds bothered to vote at all then I don't think young people have anything to be proud about either.

Littlemisslovesspiders · 26/06/2016 23:02

The older generation overwhelmingly voted for Brexit (all the older members of my family except my dad - average age 70), and they won't have to live with the consequences of that decision

A large proportion of younger voters couldn't be bothered to vote.

Don't vote don't complain.

isseywithcats · 26/06/2016 23:10

1 was 18 in 1975 i voted then not to go into europe im 59 now and i voted to come out of europe so i have voted no as a young person and as an older person

louisagradgrind · 26/06/2016 23:18

What will happen to Jeremy Corbyn?

According to various idiotic rants over the past few days-demanding that over 65s are disbarred from voting. He is 67, I think. He doesn't have a degree either, so that, according to the lights of some, is really a double whammy.

I find it worrying that so many young people are so ill educated and disengaged that over 7 in 10 didn't turn up to exercise their right to vote: a right that was only conferred on them by virtue of the struggles of earlier generations.

I don't know how many of those 7 in 10 were women but double shame be heaped on their heads for not voting.

I voted leave, so I guess it has benefitted me but in the larger scheme of things it is depressing that we have so many young people who just live in a bubble. I don't think that any preceding generation has been quite so disengaged.

The 3 or so in 10 that did vote should really give their peers a strong kick up their flabby arses, otherwise in forty years or so, any election is only going to have a 30 or 40 per cent turn out. Appalling.

BoGrainger · 26/06/2016 23:19

How do we know that old people voted out? Are our voting papers identifiable? I missed that bit.

ratspeaker · 26/06/2016 23:30

All the people I know over 60 voted to remain.
But I'min Scotland, that may make a difference.

Though its worth remembering we came into the Common Market in 1973 ( Ted Heaths Tory Gvment ) so anyone around 60 was in their late teens then. Probably had no idea about visa for holidays abroad, working inside or outside the UK, imports or exports...

Hodooooooooor · 26/06/2016 23:33

It's not ageism, ffs. Calling an old person a dickhead because of the way they voted isn't ageism, they'd still be a dickhead no matter what age they are.

Sunsetplumset · 26/06/2016 23:40

Working in Spain and Greece is what a lot of young do.

kaitlinktm · 26/06/2016 23:46

Am nearly 61 and voted to remain. I voted in to the Common Market in 1975 too.

My parents (83 and 87) both voted to remain.

My sons (29 and 31) both voted to remain.

My parents and I voted on what we thought the best would be for the younger generation - why would we do otherwise? Why would we want to blight the future of our own children and grandchildren?

I am sick of being labelled selfish by people who know nothing about me.

louisagradgrind · 26/06/2016 23:46

Even if they are working on Mars, postal votes are here to stay.

I don't understand all this tearing of hair and breast beating about young people being so angry. I would only understand it if they had been barred from voting. They weren't.

7 out of 10 simply couldn't be arsed despite both sides of the debate banging on about how important it was to vote.

They have no cause no complain. They had a vote, they chose not to use it. Dickheads indeed!

Greydog · 26/06/2016 23:57

Mumsnet is getting increasingly ageist. What nasty, snide remarks have been made. How do you know that older people voted out. All my antique friends voted in, and are horrified at the result. I do know one exiter who is over 60, but he's always been a dickhead, nothing to do with age. I do know a few young people who when asked about the referendum wondered "are we in Europe?" And from my FB friends the angry ones are older people. A lot of the youngsters are too busy with football and reality tv to know, or sadly care, what's going on outside their bubble

Hodooooooooor · 26/06/2016 23:58

How do you know that older people voted out

Exit polls etc. We know that the majority of over 60's voted out, by a greater percentage than younger voters. Thats called fact, not ageism.

louisagradgrind · 27/06/2016 00:10

Well, Hod, so what!

It was a vote and exercising that vote is a duty and everyone who voted did the right thing. Those who didn't vote did the wrong thing and any opinion they may have on the result is below notice.

Greydog · 27/06/2016 00:21

here's the only exit poll I can find - Former Tory peer Lord Ashcroft , who polled 12,369 people after they voted on Thursday, found strong support for Leaving among the older generation.
Where was this poll? It's not a lot of people to ask? How many people who've posted here have been asked? It's a sweeping statement to make on the back of asking 12,369 people.

louisagradgrind · 27/06/2016 00:34

If young people were so concerned about the dreaded old farts voting to leave, they would have turned up to vote.

They didn't. So either they don't really care enough for Europe/ they are too thick to see the importance of voting or they are happy to let the choice be made for them.

People over 60 are probably better educated and care more about the world around them and so decided to use their vote, what ever way they voted.

In Lincolnshire, 75% of the population voted Leave? Are they all over 60 do you think? In Lancashire 2 out of 3 voted Leave: do you think two out of every three people in that county are over 60? I could list others. Time for you to Get a Grip!