Aspiring politician campaigns for voting age to be lowered to 16
A SCHOOLBOY who revealed his ambition to be Prime Minister aged six is campaigning to get the voting age lowered to 16.
As reported in the Echo, Liam Young, 14, was elected to represent the City Of Lincoln in the UK Youth Parliament earlier this year.
-
Liam Young has written to Prime Minister David Cameron, urging him to lower the voting age.
Liam, a pupil at St Peter and St Paul School in Lincoln, says it is unfair 1.5 million 16-and- 17-year-olds are currently denied the vote on local, general and European elections.
He believes young people are mature enough to vote under the current minimum age of 18.
Such is his conviction, he has written to Prime Minister David Cameron calling for change.
Liam, who lives in Cresta Close, North Hykeham, said: "At the age of 16 you can marry an MP, you can legally have sex with them, you can join the Armed Forces and fight for them and you can pay taxes to pay an MP.
"The only thing you can't do is vote for them.
"I think many people are politically aware at a younger age than 18.
In fact at 16 many would have just done GCSE politics and about to begin A level politics.
"I have always been interested in politics – when I was about six I told my family I wanted to be Prime Minister.
"My grandfather, Roland Hurst, is a former mayor of Lincoln and leader of the council so politics must run in our family."
Liam's campaign, called 16Votes, is currently the second most popular in Channel 4 Education's online youth campaigns contest Battlefront 2.
He has recently sat an A level in law three years early, and has won the support of senior MPs, including Labour Party leadership contenders Ed and David Miliband.
A free Parliamentary vote on reducing the voting age was one of Labour's general election manifesto pledges.
There have also been numerous moves previously to change youth voting.
Liam's letter to the Prime Minister reads: "You fought your election on promising to represent the great ignored, so, Prime Minister, will you now fulfil your promise, by breaking the assumptions cast on politicians, that one can never fulfil a promise, and follow through with your campaign?
"If you truly are here to fight for the great ignored, then please, now commit to endorsing my campaign to lower the voting age to 16."
Grandad Mr Hurst, 59, who lives in Brant Road, Lincoln, said he felt young people were now perhaps better informed about politics than ever before.
Mr Hurst, who retired from politics 12 years ago, said: "Liam is very serious about this issue and puts his point across in such a way that it's difficult to argue against it."
18 Comments
View all
by Barry Island, Barry Island
Thursday, August 05 2010, 2:26PM
“God I bet he's annoying.”
by Northern Outsider, Lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 4:10PM
“16 is that strange age where you are classed as an adult in some cases but are still a child in others. You can do some things legally like smoke, get married, have sex and pay full adult admission prices, fares etc, but cannot buy alchohol or vote and you also pay tax an NI contributions, so I can see why people of that age can get quite annoyed about the situation.
You can join the Armed forces, but cannot fight as the legal age for combat troops in this country is 18 and you are classed as a boy soldier, where your actual service doesn't begin until you are 18.
Top ten EU truths as printed by Scooby are rubbish. I don't think anyone would class David Cameron as Pro-European, nor does the Queen have any constitutional authority, but she signs documents etc as part of a ceremonial and protocol procedure.”
by Emma, Lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 3:35PM
“"I think the age should be raised to at least 25,so who ever is voting has gained some life experience and can make an informed thought out decision."
So in other words, you could in theory work full time for nine years without having a say in who gets to run the country and spend your taxes.
Taxation without representation is bad, m'kay?”
by scooby, lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 3:05PM
“Well I don¿t suppose there is any chance of convincing any of the Euro Septic¿s out there.”
by John, Lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 1:38PM
“I see little point in bothering to trawl through that website having already wasted two precious minutes of my life reading your synopsis/drivel. It calls itself Eutruth and yet I have already picked out a number of lies so why bother?
I tend to read matter from both sides, and although I am pro EU I think UKIP make a number of good points and argue their case well. In fact even Veritas are better than those 10 points you've put on.
One of the reasons I can't help but fall in the pro EU camp is because of how much in winds people like you up. People who don't read widely enough on the subject but have come down on one side (almost always anti EU) and are convinced enough to persuade others they are wrong. And before you start I am not stating that those who have read about it will be pro, there are just as many informed people who are anti but can offer decent reasoning.”
by Jess, Lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 1:37PM
“Well done Liam, I think this is a really worthwhile campaign. Young peoples opinions are often undervalued when they have a lot to offer. 16 years olds are wise enough to vote and should be given more credit ¿ they should have the right to vote for a Government which will have an affect on their future. And to say the Youth Parliament is a waste of money is frankly ignorant, we should be proud of young people willing to put in time and effort for important issues ¿ ultimately they are the future of this country.”
by s.smith, lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 1:08PM
“I think the age should be raised to at least 25,so who ever is voting has gained some life experience and can make an informed thought out decision.Go back and play with your game boy sonny,you know nothing !!!!”
by Emma, Lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 1:06PM
“Scooby, UKIP do a better job of presenting the anti-EU argument than that website does, which just shows how laughably poor it really is.”
by Dan, Lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 12:53PM
“Scooby - since you seem to believe the untruths and downright lies you posted below, you're obviously a prime candidate for losing the vote on the basis of lack of intelligence (see below).”
by scooby, lincoln
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 12:30PM
“John, Lincoln you like a lot of other misguided people in this country of ours (whats left of it) are so naïve it is criminal.
Just go to the link and have a Good read.”