Voting age may be reduced to 16 apparently. Good idea?

[Nanny0gg]

As it says in the title. Labour still seems keen on this idea. Personally I think it's bonkers - I look at my DGC and they are just not old enough yet.

AIBU?

.deleted zombie

I think quite a few people have mentioned brain developement. Most girls have that by 18, boys a little later. None by 16.

The frontal lobe. It’s a biological fact. Another reason the driving age should be raised

I’ve just noticed 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

This may actually backfire massively on Labour. If it looks like Reform are likely to win the next GE without the 16 and 17 yo votes, then given that most 16 and 17yo are not terribly politically engaged anyway, and don't have much clue about politics other than listening to whatever the adults around them say, they might all just end up voting Reform like their parents. It could turn a modest win into a landslide. The Reform vote in the next GE will be like the referendum vote. It will attract a huge number of people who don;t usually bother the ballot box and feel cynical and uninspired by politics generally. But the chance to see seismic change within very real grasp will bring them out of the woodwork.

The few that are very politically engaged will lean towards the left because idealistic kids always do. They tend to grow out of it, obviously, but Labour may find they are no longer considered left enough after this year's many and various debacles over PIP, 'an island of strangers' and not being seen as pro-Palestine enough, so they will be more likely to vote for Jeremy Corbyn's new party if that actually materialises. Which ultimately means a wasted vote in terms of the overall GE outcome and a new government.

I think it's a really terrible idea that has been pushed through for very cynical reasons by Labour and I only hope it comes back to bite them and that any sensible government in the future revokes it.

Agree!

And whose fault is that? A lot of indulgent loopy adults. There is always the possibility that adult idiocy informs the stupidity of the young, and trans gender politics is the perfect example.

I have a correction to make to a previous post that might make Conservative voters relax & think. In a Scottish context.

I posted that more Scottish 16/17 year olds were pro-Independence, well it turns out that only the 25-49 age groups were predominantly "Yes" voters.

The youngest & oldest voters were pro-UK.

Of course, Brexit & Johnson have since happened.

I'm male. Was in charge 8 hours a day of a supertanker navigating busy seaways, day, night, clear or foggy weather. Started training for that at age 17.

I took the controls of my first aircraft at age 15.

Not sure what that’s got to do with the biological fact stated.