Eastern Region Co-operative Party
August 25, 2012 1 Comment
This afternoon I was in Great Baddow; I am a delegate to the Eastern Region Co-operative Party, and they met this afternoon.
Of the items discussed the one that got my most attention was on hearing that the Co-operative Party’s NEC were considering lowering the membership age to 14. You currently have to be 16 to join.
The age for voting at present is 18, and so being able to join two years before one can vote gives potentially two years of preparation for the expression of one’s suffrage.
I support the lowering of the voting age to 16, and so lowering the age for joining the Co-operative Party to 14 neatly fits in with this. I think the Labour Party should also do this and I will be doing my bit to persuade them.
I strongly believe that their should be a period between leaving school and entering “the real world” before one is allowed to vote. As one is entitled to education up to the age of 19 there is no way the voting age should be lowered. (Tough on the teachers who never leave school ). As 18 is the age for military service that must of course stay.