Truth is, the majority of people of any age arenât interested in politics. Doesnât mean they shouldnât be given a vote though.
5 Likes
We work long hours on average in this country, yet our productivity lags behind countries where they work fewer hours. We produce less by working more hours, probably because for the great majority of people thereâs a threshold beyond which tiredness outweighs any extra time spent working.
Who knows, maybe itâs time to take a different perspective on these things?
7 Likes
Time for anyone thinking of voting for this bunch of lying sociopaths to have a long hard look in the mirror.
4 Likes
Point of order. Fortnite wasnât around when i was 16.
1 Like
⊠wanking was though and my friend says it isnât just the preserve of the the young, thank you very much.
2 Likes
As well as tiredness, my employees also suffer from extended periods of Facebookery and Internetfuckaboutery during their working hours, which, i believe can add considerable stress to the working day.
2 Likes
The ability to increase productivity does depend upon the make of that particular economy and the industry sectors that are dominant.
If there is a greater bias to manufacturing then productivity upticks can be delivered through automation etc
If there is a service sector bias then it is more difficult because you are reliant from getting more from each hour
For example how do you make a call centre operative more productive - they can only handle x number of call per hour
It just feels a bit woolly to say increased productivity will pay for it - it is like saying the extra money will be found be tackling tax avoidance - it bollocks because the money / savings never materialise
Nor was the telephone
1 Like
Then why not extend the franchise to 15 or 14 year olds Or further
With respect, that is just silly, and smacks of desperation. Sixteen year olds can leave school, get married, join the armed forces, go to work, and importantly pay tax. No taxation without representation. If 16 year olds are denied the vote, then no income tax should be collected from anyone until they turn 18. That should be the law. Fairs fair.
4 Likes
In the eyes of the law they are not adults
They cannot drink
They cannot drive (until 17)
They cannot buy cigarettes
They cannot play Call of Duty
They cannot gamble
If we donât trust them to do this then why trust them to vote?
My view is vote should be given to adults. Now I accept that there is a philosophical debate to be had about what age you become an adult.
Agree re the tax bit
2 Likes
Vote Fowler!
What has paying tax got to do with being able to vote? Paying tax has got to do with earning money not being able to put a cross on a bit of paperâŠ
Using that logic people who donât pay tax shouldnât be able to vote!!
If you are asking people to pay tax without any say in where that money is to be spent or any input into spending priorities then many people feel that is unfair.
4 Likes
So that goes back to the question of reducing the voting age, basically anyone who earns enough to pay tax pays tax no matter their age, so that could potentially be a 14 year old, even a 10 year old.
So what do you do ÂŻ\(ă)/ÂŻ
2 Likes
Children/young adults are expected to be in education until they are 16 when they can formally work and theoretically pay tax (and do a lot of other responsible things as mentioned above). So 16 isnât an arbitrary number itâs one the makes some sense.
Voting at 16 also means that schools can also do more in citizenship classes to prepare, educate and hopefully energise the electorate.
2 Likes
I thought they pushed that back so that you stayed in education or an apprenticeship until you were 18
see here https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school, and that only applies to EnglandâŠ
20 hours or more a week (whilst still in part-time education or training) surely wonât earn you enough to start paying taxes?
Lovely idea but do you really see under-16s actually caring enough to be bothered?
As I said, âtheoreticallyâ.
1 Like
Iâm making some judgements here about some of you, but it looks like youâve never interacted with young adults.
I have and Iâve lead discussions on citizenship. Young adults are not a social group that you can categorise as all acting the same way. They are as different in their views and interest in politics as the adults Iâve met.
Some are massively engaged in politics. Some are aware itâs a duty and have done some research. Others are like sheep and will follow their mates and change when their mates change.
The earlier we can engage them the better, IMO.
6 Likes