The British government has announced the biggest change to the UK electoral system in decades, with news that they intend to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote.
Since 1969, British voters have required to be 18 or older. Before that, the voting age was 21. Allowing 16 year olds to vote is generally judged a success in Scotland and Wales for the parliaments in Edinburgh and Cardiff, but it’s not the system for Westminster.
Opponents claim younger voters “might” be more left-wing. Well, they “might” also be supporters of the Conservative party, the Green party, or the Scottish Nationalist Party, but so what? Other opponents say younger voters by definition don’t have the experience to vote wisely, but similar criticisms were used about women a century ago when they were given the vote, and about men 200 years ago when voting was extended beyond wealthy men and landowners.
When reporting on the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, I was at first sceptical of 16 and 17 year olds voting. I changed my mind listening to teenagers intelligently discussing their future and the future of Scotland. That year, 3.6 million Scottish voters turned out to vote and more than 100,000 of those were 16 and 17 year olds. Why should that same age group be denied their say in choosing the government and future of the whole of the UK? Besides, 16 and 17 years olds can work, pay taxes and even become parents. Shouldn’t they have some say in the future political direction of their country?
Campaigners to extend the vote to younger groups believe voting is a habit, but millions of potential British voters never get into that habit. I know men and women in their 40s and 50s who simply don’t see the point of voting at all. That’s why about 40 per cent of potential British voters simply don’t go to the polls. Australia tried to fix this problem by making voting compulsory, but forcing citizens to do something – rather than persuading them to do it – seems evidence of democratic failure.
I know men and women in their 40s and 50s who simply don’t see the point of voting at all
More positively Australia makes voting easier, allowing absentee voting, pre-poll voting, postal voting and other schemes. In British general and local elections, I always vote by post. It’s easy to register and avoids identity checks at the polling station. It also avoids the bad weather or transport problems that may discourage some voters.
Yet the core problem with non-voters in Britain cannot be solved merely by extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.
Across most British political parties, there is recognition that the antiquated “first past the post” system is unfair and unfit for the complexities of the multi-party 21st century. The constituency in which I live has a Labour MP, but more than half the voters in last year’s election voted for someone else. For those voters – the majority in my constituency – going to the polling station seems a “wasted vote” because of that antiquated system.
And they have a point. In the May 2015 general election, Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party won 3.8 million votes and the Green party won 1 million votes, but UKIP and the Greens ended up with just one MP each. A million votes for the Greens and just one MP? Nearly 4 million votes for UKIP and just one MP? Is that democracy?
Expanding the franchise to younger voters before the next election – scheduled by 2029 – may be worthwhile, but it’s tinkering at the edges. We need more education in schools about the importance of voting. We need non-partisan education for teenagers about how politics and government actually work. We need what in some countries is called “media literacy” teaching, to help teenagers decode what newspaper and broadcast journalists are telling them, and to question whether that information is merely opinion or truly based in fact.
A healthy democracy is one in which engaged voters go to the polls with clear ideas about why voting matters and can understand the difference between bold political promises and what governments can actually achieve.
The idea of votes for 16 year olds grabs headlines. It may be useful, and so too are some other minor changes being considered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. These include automatic registration for new voters, expanding the kinds of voter identification that are acceptable, tightening the rules on political donations and addressing potential problems about foreign governments interfering directly or through proxies in British elections.
But even with all of that, the core problem remains. The UK does not have one electoral voting system. It has a mixed bag that includes proportional representation and separate parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – but not in England. There are votes at 16 in Scotland and Wales, but not right now for all UK general elections to Westminster.
The hard truth is that most politicians privately know that the antiquated British electoral system is wildly out of date. The problem is that once those same politicians get into power, they suddenly become very reluctant to change a system that managed to get them to the top.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Japan
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
