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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:
GiddyOnZackHunt · 27/06/2016 00:52

My parents are WC grammar school kids who are 70+.
They are Bremainers.

BoneyBackJefferson · 27/06/2016 06:43

Looking at revised numbers for numbers who voted, 18 - 24 year olds is about 1/3 of the total number that could vote.

OrangesandLemonsNow · 27/06/2016 06:47

Looking at revised numbers for numbers who voted, 18 - 24 year olds is about 1/3 of the total number that could vote.

People won't listen to that. They're too interested in blaming the older generation rather than those that can't even be arsed to vote.

MiracletoCome · 27/06/2016 06:51

DS is in the 18-24 group and voted leave.

mollie123 · 27/06/2016 06:52

the figures of the ages of those voting for either camp - are from a poll extrapolated to the age distribution in the geographical area in which the vote was cast
There is nowhere on the ballot paper to indicate age, ethnicity or gender
It may indicate a trend but it is not a 'factual' figure.

Yet it has acquired legs and now all the ageist remarks have come out because so many do not question those figures. I look forward to them identifying a group of leave or remain voters based on their ethnicity or gender - just as meaningless !

MiracletoCome · 27/06/2016 06:55

mollie123 Thanks for clarifying, I thought I had missed something on the ballot paper like a code to know who people were, as there was a lot of stuff about age of voters

BoneyBackJefferson · 27/06/2016 07:13

I agree that who voted for what is based on trends, how many of each age group voted is easy to source as the polling cards can be linked against name and age on the electrical role.

dynevoran · 27/06/2016 07:16

It isn't about blame. Although i have my personal opinion. This is just statistics really based on exit polls. The older did vote more for leave, that doesn't mean all did. The younger voted more for remain, doesn't mean all did. Less proportion of younger people actually voted.

Saying "they didn't vote so they cant complain now" is nonsensical. The people upset are more likely those that did vote. They are no more in control of their peers than the over 60s are of theirs.

iniquity · 27/06/2016 10:39

The majority of 18 -24 year olds didn't vote because they lack the wisdom that comes with age. Thats the truth.

VioletVaccine · 27/06/2016 10:45

Totally agree, OP

to think the ageism because the old voted for Brexit is disgusting.
Batteriesallgone · 27/06/2016 10:48

Is nobody else terrified about the scores of disenfranchised young people that don't vote, potentially have the time and energy for 'direct action' (read: violence) and don't have stability / families to worry about or protect?

Instead of saying they are stupid / inexperienced / lazy shouldn't we be desperately trying to engage them instead of seeking to alienate them more?

walchesterweasel · 27/06/2016 11:01

Some lovely little charmer interviewed from GLastonbury this morning said his gran shouldn't have voted because she'll be dead in a couple of years.
His bigotry was disgusting; would he extend this thinking to other groups ?

OldManJenkins · 27/06/2016 11:26

Remainer have come across very bad with racism bullying ageism and classiSt

Some brexit may be xenophobic But you are a lot worse

Lymmmummy · 27/06/2016 12:26

I do think there has been a bit much of the "old people have robbed us" type thing - lots of old people may have also voted remain and younger people leave

I don't know what the demographics are - whether there are more eligible voters in the 45plus category than in say the under 30's but if there is not a huge difference (which I admit there may be ) then you have to ask why if they felt so passionately about the matter where they not voting?

louisagradgrind · 27/06/2016 12:26

I'm 100 and I climbed out of a window to vote leave!

On the BBC this morning it gave these figures: 36% of 18-24 voted. Out if that 36%, 25% voted to Leave.

Unless someone barred them at the door from voting, that figure of 36% shows what a lazy, unintelligent generation they are. As for engaging them: what more can be done? Is the fact of having a vote in the biggest political event for a very long time, not enough to motivate them?

If they can't be arsed, they can't be arsed. I'm against begging them to vote by handing out rewards or carrying them, on golden litters, to the polling station.

No other generation needs this. Why should they? Have voting obstacles been placed in their way that no other generation have had to face of course not!

We all have a vote and there is no need to use it but quite frankly, why all this attention on 26% of young people who wanted to Remain is beyond me.

That's right, only 26% of young people wanted to Remain in the EU. Those who didn't vote, don't count.

kaitlinktm · 27/06/2016 12:29

I am also uncertain of this attitude of having to engage young people into the voting process. If they are engaged enough to moan about it now, then presumably they were engaged enough to register and bloody vote to begin with.

dynevoran · 27/06/2016 12:33

The ones engaged voted and some are moaning and worried. The ones not engaged and who didn't vote are not moaning. Surely that's not very complex to understand.

louisagradgrind · 27/06/2016 12:40

Gosh! Those 26% are making a hell of a lot of noise...out of proportion and reason.

I suppose the 26% are entitled to moan, as we all are if the vote didn't go our way but why focus so much on them?

However, it is all this old fanny being pushed at every turn about how a generation have been ignored. Rubbish, 75% of that generation did not actively want to Remain.

louisagradgrind · 27/06/2016 12:41

74% rather according to the BBC.

lostinyonkers · 27/06/2016 12:51

I thought they weren't doing exit polls and that's why the final result was such a horrible shock. Also tried to find any accurate stats on how many 18-25 year olds voted - Anna Soubry on QT last night suggested 45%. If that's the case, they have NO argument whatsoever.

louisagradgrind · 27/06/2016 12:56

My figures were taken from BBC Breakfast this morning. No-one disputed them, so they must be there or thereabouts or no doubt, there would have been a lot of denials.

Heartening though, as a Leave voter, to learnthat 74% of 18-24 year olds didn't want to stay in the EU; despite the BBC going to some festival or other to find idiotic young people who literally said their grannies shouldn't vote as they would be dead in a couple of years!

Thank goodness, they're not in power or, at this rate, are ever likely to be so!

MNHQ
YetAnotherHelenMumsnet · 27/06/2016 12:58

Hi all,

After a great many requests, we're moving the bulk of the referendum threads to the new board here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_

Many of you, understandably, want to discuss this subject at length and in detail - this seems a good way to simultaneously keep AIBU and Chat moving for those who don't wish to participate. Of course, the conversations will still appear in Active.

JamieVardysParty · 27/06/2016 12:59

Because this 26% can come up with pithy one-liners and memes on social media that go viral.

We've seen from numerous Mumsnet-on-the-DM threads that it is lazy journalism just to pick up on these viral rants/memes and report as if it is news.

It's a social media vacuum. Those who shout the loudest into this empty vacuum only get their own responses echoed back to them and are genuinely confused and upset when their own feelings aren't that of the rest of the general public.

I don't think the fact that this generation are one of the most entitled and self-obsessed helps. It means they are less unlikely to read other points of view, they only want to see their own validated and confirmed.

howabout · 27/06/2016 13:21

The thing that bothers me most about the whole "youth were robbed" argument was that actually if you are 18-24 you are only thinking about your own future and this is reflected in comments I have seen. People in their 30s and beyond are far more likely to have DC and GC whose futures they are considering.

JuxtapositionRecords · 27/06/2016 13:25

violet they didn't fight in WW2! Hmm

As I said, I agree the turnout was appalling in the lower age bracket. But I don't agree that by definition of not voting means they automatically are voting to leave. And they have every right to feel upset and angry. The next age bracket is 25-45, I would be willing to bet if you could split that further into 25-30 (I can't find any stats) the turnout would be far greater and they are still considered to be in the 'young people' camp who are worried about what this means they will face for the majority of their life.

We really need to consider getting 16 and 17 year olds voting. They have every right to contribute their voices to how their country should be run. I think if that had been allowed in the referendum the result would have been very different.

But those that say 'why should old people vote when they will die soon' are just disgusting, ignorant idiots.