Reform UK's chronicles

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

From a child, I was a newspaper reader. I watched TV news, etc. So, ignorant, I wasn't. But somehow, I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich.

It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.

If you take that as a benchmark, then, in the pre-Greens & Reform UK world, you could see why Labour would want to gerrymander the 2million+ votes available from the 16-18 year olds.

I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich

I think that says more about you (evidenced by your posts on here, you appear to view things either/or, rather than faceted/shaded), than about 16-17 year olds; also, anecdata should not inform policy…

Not sure "gerrymander" is emotive enough - why not use "steal"?

Also, what makes you think that the 1.63 million 16-17 olds are a homogeneous group? A poll last year showed them prospectively voting Labour at 28%, followed by the Greens on 26% and the Liberal Democrats on 20%. In contrast, the Conservatives were on 9% and Reform UK on 8%.

I don’t understand how over 68% of 16-17 year olds prospectively not voting for Labour is "gerrymandering"…

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

From a child, I was a newspaper reader. I watched TV news, etc. So, ignorant, I wasn't. But somehow, I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich.

It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.

If you take that as a benchmark, then, in the pre-Greens & Reform UK world, you could see why Labour would want to gerrymander the 2million+ votes available from the 16-18 year olds.

They have in Wales

[jem]

"It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.”

Of course, you must be aware of the old sentiment “if you are not a socialist in your teens, then you have no heart...but if you still a socialist in your thirties, you have no brain”.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by jem

"It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.”

Of course, you must be aware of the old sentiment “if you are not a socialist in your teens, then you have no heart...but if you still a socialist in your thirties, you have no brain”.

And if you're still socialist in you're 50's, you're a really nice person, unlike everyone else

Originally Posted by jem

"It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.”

Of course, you must be aware of the old sentiment “if you are not a socialist in your teens, then you have no heart...but if you still a socialist in your thirties, you have no brain”.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

From a child, I was a newspaper reader. I watched TV news, etc. So, ignorant, I wasn't. But somehow, I formed an opinion that rich people had no right to be rich.

It wasn't till I had a house and family, that my political tendencies switched from Labour to Conservative - around 24 years of age.

If you take that as a benchmark, then, in the pre-Greens & Reform UK world, you could see why Labour would want to gerrymander the 2million+ votes available from the 16-18 year olds.

lf is doing a lot of heavy lifting. So much so that anything after it may be ignored.

[Sephiroth]

Could you be more specific, please? Do you think I'm generally wrong?

Or put another way, once the youth emerge into the capitalist world, the leave socialism or its offshoots behind? As people in our sort of society mature, their political outlook changes. Did yours?

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hugh

I think that says more about you (evidenced by your posts on here, you appear to view things either/or, rather than faceted/shaded), than about 16-17 year olds; also, anecdata should not inform policy…

Not sure "gerrymander" is emotive enough - why not use "steal"?

Also, what makes you think that the 1.63 million 16-17 olds are a homogeneous group? A poll last year showed them prospectively voting Labour at 28%, followed by the Greens on 26% and the Liberal Democrats on 20%. In contrast, the Conservatives were on 9% and Reform UK on 8%.

I don’t understand how over 68% of 16-17 year olds prospectively not voting for Labour is "gerrymandering"…

But they are predominantly left wing parties. Young people tend to be idealists, not understanding as much as they think they do, heavily influenced by what their left wing teachers have been telling them.

As they start to get life experience, many of those who understand the need to work for a living start to change their minds about where they stand politically. Becoming better off starts to be an aspiration, so they know where their loyalties should lie.

[Sephiroth]

OB is spot on.

[Carth]

As a teenager I didn't give two monkeys about politics, it was all music, football, girls and drinking (in no particular order).

Similar to Seph, politics reared it's head a few years after getting married and buying a house. Unlike Seph, my interest in who did what when and why in politics soon waned and that crock of shit got ignored while I got on with life.

Never really had any time for people who can't answer a question without resorting to vague and meaningless gobbledygook, especially mature supposedly intelligent people that argue like school kids scoring points in the playground when discussing how to run a damn country.