Politics

[DazBob]

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

My lad turns 15 next time and can barely put his own clothes in a wash basket.

He was up last night playing GTA with his mate and talking about the new superman film.

Quite frightening that he'd be allowed to vote in a year or so.

Was saying the same to my missus this morning about the gormless streak of piss who eats and sleeps in this house.

... but then again look at the reasons that so many 'grown-ups' voted for Brexit...

[Dimron]

1 hour ago, BobyBrno said:

From the graph posted previously. From the referendum of course but not as clear cut as some assume. Just 4% difference between 45+ and 65+. (Margin of error could make it even closer.)
Don’t know about you but I knew a lot more about life as I got older. 

I voted remain. 

I always thought the referendum should have been weighted as the younger ones had longer to live with the outcome, maybe excluding the over 60s (that would include me)

[London Wanderer]

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

My lad turns 15 next time and can barely put his own clothes in a wash basket.

He was up last night playing GTA with his mate and talking about the new superman film.

Quite frightening that he'd be allowed to vote in a year or so.

You could say that about people of all ages

[BobyBrno]

6 minutes ago, Dimron said:

I always thought the referendum should have been weighted as the younger ones had longer to live with the outcome, maybe excluding the over 60s (that would include me)

I don’t think anyone really thought it through to be honest but whatever, a huge chunk of voters in the middle and lower age group voted for it. Some for ideological reasons which I get. Many hadn’t a clue though, same as in a GE so I suppose adding 1.5 million more into the voting circus won’t make that much difference. If you voted out, I voted in so cancelling each other out.😊

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

2 hours ago, BobyBrno said:

From the graph posted previously. From the referendum of course but not as clear cut as some assume. Just 4% difference between 45+ and 65+. (Margin of error could make it even closer.)
Don’t know about you but I knew a lot more about life as I got older. 

I voted remain. 

My reference to the Boomer voting bloc was separate to the one about the EU referendum

[bolty58]

Anyone who claims this to be anything other than gerrymandering is either a Labour Party member or a stranger to the truth.

Absolute manipulation of the democratic process to try to gain a political advantage - nothing more, nothing less.

No surprise from the left side of politics.

[Sweep]

16 minutes ago, bolty58 said:

Anyone who claims this to be anything other than gerrymandering is either a Labour Party member or a stranger to the truth.

Absolute manipulation of the democratic process to try to gain a political advantage - nothing more, nothing less.

No surprise from the left side of politics.

Agree with the bit in bold, 100% - but I guess if you're the party in power, then you do what you can to try and stay there.

Even though you say "No Surprise from the left side of politics" I'm sure the "right side" has also changed things to their advantage in the past (I don't know any examples, but I'm sure somebody will be along shortly to confirm 😏)

[Jol_BWFC]

3 hours ago, DazBob said:

Was saying the same to my missus this morning about the gormless streak of piss who eats and sleeps in this house.

... but then again look at the reasons that so many 'grown-ups' voted for Brexit...

Speaking about yourself in the third person is a bit weird.

[mickbrown]

4 hours ago, gonzo said:

My lad turns 15 next time and can barely put his own clothes in a wash basket.

He was up last night playing GTA with his mate and talking about the new superman film.

Quite frightening that he'd be allowed to vote in a year or so.

Well chances are he won’t be arsed voting. No body is saying he has to 

[green genie]

 

[royal white]

Just now, green genie said:

 

Christ than mon has to be one of the biggest knobs on X 

[Not in Crawley]

14 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

Sure, but it's been introduced in the hope they benefit

It's no coincidence the parties most favour of it are the ones that cohort are most likely to vote for, and vice versa those opposing it 

It was the same at the time of the EU referendum

That's an opinion, not a fact though. I was simply pointing out this idea everyone under 25 votes Labour isnt as true as some like to make out and is a lazy assumption. It doesn't guarantee anything, whereas the shifting of political boundaries and the introduction of ID cards was more of cyclical move to gerrymander - certainly ID cards in reducing the number of younger and urban voters.

Certainly age is the biggest divider of voting intention more than anything less in which younger demographics as certainly more progressive as their needs are different - some would say more long termist - than those over 60 who are looking for medium/short term security.  But as i say given the low percentage of those voting it'll make very little difference in the overall share of the national vote in a GM with a FPP system - but what it might do is help engage people at a younger age in our system.

And everything we are basing this on is who 18-24 year olds vote for, so we simply don't know. We can make an inference, but whilst just over 40% of 18-24 year olds voted Labour in the last GM support for Labour (and the Tories) dropped from the 2019 election with big increases for smaller parties.

It is indeed a good thing to engage at an earlier age given the poor turnouts which in turn makes our democracy weaker when parties get into government with less than half the people voting in this country.

Im a firm believer in some form of basic political education at school level (you can see on here how many would have benefitted) in terms of how it works from election to legislation.

[Not in Crawley]

4 minutes ago, royal white said:

Christ than mon has to be one of the biggest knobs on X 

Are you not on there?

[kent_white]

I think right wing populism will be pretty popular with 16 and 17 years olds these days. 

And they will certainly be easier to sway with simplistic answers to complicated problems. This could backfire quite spectacularly. 

That said - I was probably more politically active when I was 16/17 than I am now. Certainly a lot more engaged with it all. 

 

[Cheese]

1 hour ago, Sweep said:

Agree with the bit in bold, 100% - but I guess if you're the party in power, then you do what you can to try and stay there.

Even though you say "No Surprise from the left side of politics" I'm sure the "right side" has also changed things to their advantage in the past (I don't know any examples, but I'm sure somebody will be along shortly to confirm 😏)

Introduction of Voter ID in 2022. Oyster cards were an acceptable form of ID for the over-60s, but not for anyone else.

[deeane Koontz]

18 minutes ago, kent_white said:

I think right wing populism will be pretty popular with 16 and 17 years olds these days. 

And they will certainly be easier to sway with simplistic answers to complicated problems. This could backfire quite spectacularly. 

That said - I was probably more politically active when I was 16/17 than I am now. Certainly a lot more engaged with it all. 

 

Aye. Can't imagine many will be enthused by Labour and Tories. It'll be Reform and Greens etc 

[Sweep]

14 minutes ago, Cheese said:

Introduction of Voter ID in 2022. Oyster cards were an acceptable form of ID for the over-60s, but not for anyone else.

Fuck me, is that true? - That's just plain ridiculous

[Casino]

2 hours ago, bolty58 said:

Anyone who claims this to be anything other than gerrymandering is either a Labour Party member or a stranger to the truth.

Absolute manipulation of the democratic process to try to gain a political advantage - nothing more, nothing less.

No surprise from the left side of politics.

you need id to vote

 

16-25 rail card...erm no

old twats bus pass - oh aye, thatll do

[Sweep]

4 minutes ago, deeane Koontz said:

Aye. Can't imagine many will be enthused by Labour and Tories. It'll be Reform and Greens etc 

I don't know too much about them, never read any of their policies, as they've never been in danger of actually doing anything before.

In fact, all I really know about them is that they're a sinister cabal of communist types - green on the outside and red on the inside (and I learnt that from @bolty58 😉)

[Cheese]

2 minutes ago, Sweep said:

Fuck me, is that true? - That's just plain ridiculous

Yep.

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id

[mickbrown]

2 hours ago, Sweep said:

Agree with the bit in bold, 100% - but I guess if you're the party in power, then you do what you can to try and stay there.

Even though you say "No Surprise from the left side of politics" I'm sure the "right side" has also changed things to their advantage in the past (I don't know any examples, but I'm sure somebody will be along shortly to confirm 😏)

Constituency boundaries. There’s your example😀

[Casino]

5 minutes ago, mickbrown said:

Constituency boundaries. There’s your example😀

and excluding foreigners living and paying their way in the UK from the brexit ref

whilst fosters suppers in CDS got a vote

 

happy for a fact check, here

 

[wakey]

Reform manifesto now includes bigger common rooms and free A levels.

They're a shoe-in.

[royal white]

1 hour ago, Cheese said:

Introduction of Voter ID in 2022. Oyster cards were an acceptable form of ID for the over-60s, but not for anyone else.

Understandably. And rightly so

Edited July 18, 2025 by royal white

[Sweep]

11 minutes ago, wakey said:

Reform manifesto now includes bigger common rooms and free A levels.

They're a shoe-in.

blimey, you usually have to pay an extra £50 for that

that's what @gonzotold me anyway