The future is... a bit old and gray


One other thing I was thinking about, when not completely consumed with thinking about some little virus that's out to kill us, is voting. It struck me, although I am certain it has struck many other people many other times over many decades, is that voting is all a bit mixed up.

Many a time I have seen debate about whether the vote should be extended to the age groups below 18 (18 being the voting age in the UK) and most of the time it is dismissed as not appropriate, although the definition of appropriate would appear to be that if the polling suggests the reduction of voting age would cause a shift in the total vote towards the party not in power then the party not in power wants it and the party in power does not allow it as being 'inappropriate at this time'. And so as the party in power has the power then it gets to decide and to decide to allow it even though it indicates the new voters would vote against them is the same as a turkey looking forward to Christmas celebrations!

Surely it really makes sense to extend the vote to those that are 16, for a start, that is the age that you are permitted to leave school and get a job (job, remember those, ah the good old days eh) so if they are old enough to work (theoretically) and pay taxes then they must be old enough to vote for a government that spends those taxes.

As the younger population theoretically have many decades ahead of them and will have to live in the world for a lot longer than the older generations then surely they have more right to be determining how the future should map out for their long term existence.

Which also begs the question, why should the older generations get to vote at all. Perhaps what is required is for the vote to be extended down to 16 years and also the vote taken away from the older generation at the same time. So, from the age of retirement, which is somewhere around 67 today, I think, then you should lose the right to determine future policy that could affect people long after you have shuffled off that mortal coil.

And, maybe the same policy should apply to politicians altogether, so nobody could stand for parliamentary seat or even for a council seat if they would reach the age of 67 during the term of the parliament or council. Or, they could stand but upon reaching the age of 67 they have to stand down by law.

It'll never happen, but has to be worth contemplating. Of course the people that would have to both suggest, support and promote it would be primarily the very people that would be affected most. And as we know, people with power tend not to give it up lightly.


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