As per the title really. Tax cuts are being discussed by government so my thinking is that a May election is on the cards.

As a group the STW demographic is generally middle aged men with an active interest in the politics of the country. Our incumbent politicians focus on an aging demographic and largely ignore the needs and priorities of a younger audience. I would like to think that as many 18-25 years olds take up the chance to vote as possible but history suggests that turnout will be low.

So what do we need to do to get them ready in time?

I just explain to mine, in all kindness, that if they vote for the Tories, they can find themselves a new home and family.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

So what do we need to do to get them ready in time?

A burning injustice.

 I would like to think that as many 18-25 years olds take up the chance to vote as possible but history suggests that turnout will be low.

Turnout has been lowering over the years, across all ages, but still 50% of <24 do vote.

https://www.britishelectionstudy.com/bes-findings/age-and-voting-behaviour-at-the-2019-general-election/

Show them the Covid enquiry

Trust them

How about giving them something to vote for, instead of creating false enemies to vote against.

Everybody knows that the system is corrupt and broken, that it serves only a small percentage of the population. Offer them solutions that will work for their lifetimes.

Invest in the nations people not its stock market.
Empower employees.
UBI
Measure the nations success by health, happiness, equality and freedom*, not just by GDP.
Social housing.
Value education** and healthcare.

*Not just legislative freedom, but freedom to make choices throughout life.
** lifelong education.

Frankly the major parties are offering nothing for them to vote for, it is no surprise that ant-protest laws have been introduced, because without hope in voting, protest would be the only realistic option to express disaffection.

50% is more positive than I expected so I feel happier about that. I recall Nick Clegg did get some fire in to students 13 years ago by very directly targeting their needs but it felt like a mad rush in the closing minutes.

My own daughter will be too young although she is in sixth form, hopefully her friends will be talking about it.

History lessons.

Most youngsters I know vote according to their beliefs as they have no experience to back it up . They tend to be idealistic not realistic with no idea how the world really works. They also tend to be somewhat self entitled and in need of a quick fix as well as of the feeling that interfering with others is a good idea, 

Tell them not to vote so that they vote to spite you? (not a serious suggestion)

Let them make up their own minds, let them know that you’re voting and leave it at that.

How about giving them something to vote for, instead of creating false enemies to vote against.

They tend to be idealistic not realistic with no idea how the world really works. They also tend to be somewhat self entitled and in need of a quick fix as well as of the feeling that interfering with others is a good idea,

You’ve just described conservative voters.

We need them to vote as there are too many old duffers that still vote Conservative. 

We need them to think not read the STW forum.

I’d show them what a proper government looks like but I can’t think of one in my lifetime.
The reality is, the best a government we can vote for, will be the least shit one.

Show them all the jobs they can’t have in any one of the 26 EU countries because of Brexit.

Then show them the hundreds of billions they will have to pay back in tax for the remainder of their lives because of the incompetence in management of Covid, for which all they got was a **** up education. 

i am sure that very few understand how FPTP works, let alone how the economy and politics in general works. I am sure of this because it seems that many many adults of voting age don’t either.

So the answer is education and to somehow instill an interest in politics and the political process. But I doubt this would be in any way of interest to the conservative party as they are unlikely to benefit from increased voter participation amongst young adults.

I 100% agree they should be offered something to vote for. There is no vision, no future plan, other than making home owners and pensioners better off.

In fact the whole country should be offered a vision, a future that we can get behind. I’m not holding my breath, in nearly 40 years of voting ive been approached twice by local candidates and asked for my views.

Most youngsters I know vote according to their beliefs as they have no experience to back it up . They tend to be idealistic not realistic with no idea how the world really works. They also tend to be somewhat self entitled and in need of a quick fix as well as of the feeling that interfering with others is a good idea,

Yeah, we should stick with just the old people voting.  It’s worked out really well so far.

Most youngsters I know vote according to their beliefs as they have no experience to back it up . They tend to be idealistic not realistic with no idea how the world really works. They also tend to be somewhat self entitled and in need of a quick fix as well as of the feeling that interfering with others is a good idea,

This doesn’t just apply to young people

Focus on understanding the issues they care about – climate, injustice, opportunity.

Then tell them they’d better vote for whatever party will keep out the Tory candidate.

“The real world” works by convincing most people to vote against their own self interests and for the continuation of the neoliberal establishment politics.

This pressure on young people to vote for one of the shitty options they are offered is perhaps the wrong lesson, that isn’t teaching them to engage politically, but instead teaching them to be a victim of a societal scale con trick.

Maybe talk them through the options, and if non of them really match then help them to join the party that is closest to their beliefs to try and change it, or engage in protest. I wish that was a lesson I had when I was younger.

Just shaking your fist at the sky and shouting “grrrr tories” is not developing an understanding of how politics shapes life. That is just the continuation of the false tribalism that we had for the past 40 years+ preventing any real progress.

And god forbid we should see idealism in younger generations as a fault.

So what do we need to do to get them ready in time?

your questions seems totally wrong to me.  In order to vote all you need is to be registered, possibly some ID.  You don’t even need your own pen.  There is no getting ready.  Do you mean to vote the way you want them to vote? Because that’s not really the spirit of democracy.  I’d much rather they turnout to vote, even if it’s for a party I loath than don’t vote at all.

I think an average 18 yr old first time voter is probably better informed about the issues than many 36, 54 or 72 year olds.

2014 and 2017 suggested that they will vote if they have something to vote for that they believe in.

Right now which mainstream party offers them anything?

A British version of this on the socials.

Poly I want them to vote for the party that appeals to them. I fear a lot of 18 and 19 year olds will not have photo ID.

Make sure they’re registered to vote.

Make sure they have a provisional driving licence, even if not planning to drive.

How they vote is up to them.

Facilitate voting via TikTok or SnapChat.

It’s their medium even if we don’t really understand it.

So what do we need to do to get them ready in time?

Make sure they (and others) have the ID they need to vote. Most will have a passport but it’s suprising how many people don’t. Younger people are less likely to have a driving license now.

Get started on this as early as possible –
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

Edit – good call on a provisional license @kelvin

Right now which mainstream party offers them anything?

Fair point. I suspect (hope) the opposition are keeping their powder dry at the moment, there’s still time.

Loss aversion is stronger in most people than most motives to gain something. Let the Tories stay in and we know we’ll lose more whatever our age, they’ve proven that. What happens if another party are in is unknown… I’ll take the gamble. 

First past the post requires voting for the least crap party. Candidates don’t matter, parties that won’t get an MP don’t matter. Vote tactically to stop whatever you don’t like.

I might throw an election party for my daughter and her friends – free booze as long as you voted. I’d have taken that at 18.

@SaxonRider you missed the other one  that would require a new home, UKIP!

Poly I want them to vote for the party that appeals to them. I fear a lot of 18 and 19 year olds will not have photo ID.

if there’s any age group that is most likely to have photo ID, it is those who are just old enough to purchase alcohol (and other things), but will almost certainly need to prove it. 

Over a quarter of 18-24 don’t drink at all, many that do don’t carry ID when they go out drinking, and those that do can carry ID that is valid for proof of age check but not to vote.

Again, the young adults in your life could do with a nudge to get their provisional licence if they haven’t already. It’s a defacto state ID card now. If it’s a relative, offer to pay for them.

It’s a barrier to voting gone then.

The rest is down to them.

How they feel when it’s time to vote might be entirely different to how they feel now while there is (probably) plenty of time to get ID sorted.

AJW, is right, there will be young people who don’t have any suitable ID but they will be in a minority:

– passport 

– driving license (Inc provisional) — somewhat of a right of passage at 17

– blue badge holder, blind person’s smartcard or freedom pass holder (catching many of the younger disabled people who may be less likely to have the above because of physical abilities).

– PASS card holder

– Armed Forces ID card

– Various ID issued by the devolved governments (less relevant as ID is only needed in England but EVERY Scottish student in England will have a SNEC for free travel when at home).

if you don’t have one of those you will also:

– struggle to buy alcohol, cigarettes, vapes, knives and even razor blades and energy drinks

– find it difficult to get in a lot of pubs in cities even if you are not planning to buy alcohol

im not a fan of voter ID rules, but I don’t really believe the 18-25’s are going to be particularly excluded because of them (not least because if you want to vote and have never done it before the idea that you can just turn up and say your name and address is frankly weird).  

there will be young people who don’t have any suitable ID but they will be in a minority

Well, those already with ID don’t need to get it, do they. The advice about helping young adults avoid that barrier to voting only applies to the minority that don’t have the relevant ID.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-6703173

” Analysis conducted by the mayor’s office shows that one in five 18 to 34-year-olds in London do not have the necessary photographic ID, in contrast to a figure of 10% for people aged over 65. “

The other step is to be registered to vote. In the right place. One in three in this age group aren’t registered to vote at all, and many that are will not have their details up to date due to moving address more recently than older generations.

I think an average 18 yr old first time voter is probably better informed about the issues than many 36, 54 or 72 year olds.
Polly.. My grandson has just begun his uni course in maths/philosophy. Asked about current politics in his uni and he said there was little interest. I have 2 40+ kids who have no interest or little knowledge of current politics due to pressure of work, stress and anxiety issues due to the current financial situation(both in professional work)
In my opinion many if not most of our current issues are due to poor(could add swear words)management, people who have been promoted out of their depth…. speaking from experience of idiots now in place at my old work place….imo offcourse

Both my kids are currently going through tough times due to poor management and HR solutions. Do HR work for the employee or protect management from employee issues????????

Loss aversion is stronger in most people than most motives to gain something. Let the Tories stay in and we know we’ll lose more whatever our age, they’ve proven that. What happens if another party are in is unknown… I’ll take the gamble.

Having survived almost 7x10yrs we go through these cycles and nothing ever changes…… ask yourself and those who wish to be your MP what qualifications they have to make decisions on how to run the country, the brief they are given or a post such as chancellor

Remember…. Blair/Brown left(allegedly) an iou of £000000 when they lost their premiership

Polly.. My grandson has just begun his uni course in maths/philosophy. Asked about current politics in his uni and he said there was little interest.

little interest as in there are no political parties/groups campaigning or discussing on campus? Or little interest in the issues of the day:

– inflation/economy/cost of living

– housing (whether at the homelessness end, the cost of student accommodation end, or the future prospects of ownership)

– taxation (whether it’s Starbucks and Vodafone, Inheritance tax or student loans)

– environment and global warming

– gender equality and identification

– global issues like Ukraine, Refugee crisis, Palestine

i don’t hold out much hope for the philosophy part of his degree if none of the above ever form part of the inter-student discussions!   But I think a lot of people conflate politics with Politics: policy and people v’s Party and Personality.  I have a 19yr old studying engineering who has no real interest in party politics, could probably not name more than two people in the cabinet (and perhaps nobody in Scotland except the FM), but would happily have a debate on any of the above topics.

I have 2 40+ kids who have no interest or little knowledge of current politics due to pressure of work, stress and anxiety issues due to the current financial situation(both in professional work)

I blame the parents!  Are you really sure they have no interest in it – or they just don’t want to engage in discussion (with you) about it.  It seems to have no interest in who runs the country, when the way they run the country directly impacts your own financial and personal stress seems a bit short sighted.  However getting on your high horse for the five years between elections when you can’t actually do anything about it is not necessarily going to help your personal anxiety levels.  There are certain people I won’t engage in Political discussion with face to face because I value the personal relationship more than having to tell them they are **** mental and a good part of the country’s problems were caused by people like them.

In my opinion many if not most of our current issues are due to poor(could add swear words)management, people who have been promoted out of their depth…. speaking from experience of idiots now in place at my old work place….imo offcourse

too simplistic; what we attribute to poor management is usually poor leadership.  Management and leadership are not the same thing. Ministers should really not be “managing” anything, they should be guiding civil servants to manage.  In the case of politicians the gene pond is very shallow and the methods for rising to the top and often not good tests of ability to lead.  As a voter you can influence both – you can vote to improve the quality of the pond or to support the party who nationally have the ability to lead the country.

Both my kids are currently going through tough times due to poor management and HR solutions. Do HR work for the employee or protect management from employee issues????????

HR always work for the company.  Any pretence otherwise is just part of the charade to help the company extract the most from you and minimise its risk.  TJ would tell them to join a Union.  I’m not a huge fan of Unions but if they are in a sector where you can’t just switch company that’s not bad advice.  Otherwise – Toxic management – get a new job, it probably comes with more money and a few months of breathing space whilst everyone goes gentle on the newbie…. Not sure how it relates to politics though unless they are government employees or the issues they face are things politicians are likely to legislate around.

I’ve not read the whole thread.

Scotland lowered the voting age for a few reasons – but one was that the earlier you engage in being active citizens and voting, the longer and more engaged you are.

I also think you’ve had 13 years of a government in England who don’t want anyone to really think and engage. Whereas Wales and Scotland actively support children and young people engaging in society, it’s in our curriculum and rights based approach.  In a England I’ve had colleagues told NOT to engage children and young people in some ways by a Tory minister, and we didn’t get funding a couple of times as we were told that it was empowering thought and encouraging political engagement over the environment – neither was acceptable.

Long term therefore: lower voting age and all schools to take a rights based approach, based in Global Goals and UNCRC.

I’m not a huge fan of Unions but if they are in a sector where you can’t just switch company that’s not bad advice.

Strangely all of the anti-union types like the weekends, paid holidays and bank holidays that we all get plus the limited working  hours and the freedom from abuse. All of these are union derived benefits.

Unlike the lovely people who removed the right to live and work anywhere in Europe if you haven’t got hundreds of millions in the bank you are never free of society’s constraints. Join with society and ensure the very rich know that their time is tolerated (barely) and at OUR convenience.

I’d like to know how to get the rancid bigoted pensioners to stop voting. That would have saved a lot of grief over the last decade and more.