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Post by Papa C. on Jan 27, 2009 16:00:33 GMT
Did anyone hear about the teenagers who were picketing the dail yesterday trying to get the voting age lowered to 16? I'm just looking for information on it.
What are people's opinions? Personally I am in favour of it.
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Post by Stallit 2 de Halfo on Jan 27, 2009 21:23:18 GMT
Yeah I heard about it.
I dont know about the whole thing myself. Id be leaning towards being against it. I think 16 is quite young for someone to express themselves politically. I know that when I was 16 I had some tendencies that were really simplistic and entirely ignorant in retrospect.
Im just not sure. Id have to look at some of the political trends of people that age (or those that age who take an interest).
I mean where do we draw the line? - why not 15? 14? 10??
I think the ideal would be a system where the young are gradually given more democratic power as they get older, voting for aspects of society that affects them.
Saying that though, many are out doing their apprentiships or working after the junior at 16.
Its a difficult one to call.
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Post by Papa C. on Jan 28, 2009 14:21:17 GMT
The way I see it, many people go out to work at 16, they pay tax, they pay union subs, they earn their own money. Why shouldn't they get to vote on issues that MAY affect them as workers and tax payers? I think this is a good way of exposing teenagers to the (very limited) democarcy we have in Ireland. It gives them a chance to make their voice heard and it allows them to see that their vote has an outcome.
In saying all that, I think the fact that they didn't get to vote on this shows the uselessness of their vote. They should be picketing for a Workers' Republic with a functioning and transparent democracy. I don't think the Government would go for lowering the voting age though.
It is all relative within a 'democracy' like Ireland 'PLC.' though where most votes are cast by Government ministers behind closed doors. They would only get to vote No to the Nice treaty, get it wrong, have to vote again on another Nice treaty. Then Vote NO to Lisbon, get it wrong and have to vote yet again. The Government will carry out the same plan of action on Lisbon that they did with Nice but that's another discussion.
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Post by Stallit 2 de Halfo on Jan 29, 2009 15:11:21 GMT
The way I see it, many people go out to work at 16, they pay tax, they pay union subs, they earn their own money. Why shouldn't they get to vote on issues that MAY affect them as workers and tax payers? I think this is a good way of exposing teenagers to the (very limited) democarcy we have in Ireland. It gives them a chance to make their voice heard and it allows them to see that their vote has an outcome. In saying all that, I think the fact that they didn't get to vote on this shows the uselessness of their vote. They should be picketing for a Workers' Republic with a functioning and transparent democracy. I don't think the Government would go for lowering the voting age though. It is all relative within a 'democracy' like Ireland 'PLC.' though where most votes are cast by Government ministers behind closed doors. They would only get to vote No to the Nice treaty, get it wrong, have to vote again on another Nice treaty. Then Vote NO to Lisbon, get it wrong and have to vote yet again. The Government will carry out the same plan of action on Lisbon that they did with Nice but that's another discussion. I think youv hit the nail on the head there by emphasising 'may' affect them. Your right. But is the only criteria you think 16 yolds should vote, is because they can work at that age? Or is there more to it for you. Like why shouldnt 15 or 14 yolds vote for what may affect them? What is the clear defining line for a person to vote to you? - paying taxes? - working? - leaving school? Wouldnt it disenfranchise sections of society who start working and leave school much earlier than others, such as travellers, if they couldnt vote if these were the criteria? Or maybe its not possible to define clear criteria, and that generalizing voting rights by a persons age is the only way it would work? |
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Post by Papa C. on Jan 30, 2009 11:36:22 GMT
Well they are the ones who have taken it upon themselves to state that 'we want the vote' and they have organised a picket in order to further their struggle to that end. I didn't come up with this idea, they have. If teenagers can organise themselves to build this campaign to an adequate and mature level it shows that they may be mature enough to use their vote responsibly. I am not running or backing this campaign but I think it is heartening to see teenagers take a serious interest in democracy.
I agree that some MAY not have the maturity to use their vote responsibly and also some MAY be coerced into voting a certain way by greedy fat cats like FF, FG, Greens, Labour, SF, former PDs.
In a society like Ireland today under the democracy that we have I don't think it really matters as there only seems to be two criteria in order for Government to grant us a vote.
1. General, local elections
2. If it affects or changes the Irish constitution (a criteria that will be removed if the Lisbon 2 treaty passes, which will leave us with only having a vote on who should rule us for the next political term)
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