New voters – since 2016 – are overwhelmingly pro-Remain. Why can’t their wishes be acknowledged?
“Today’s 18, 19 and 20-year-olds were not allowed to vote in 2016. 84 per cent of them want to remain in the EU,” tweeted Labour’s David Lammy.
“To ignore these young voices, who have the most to lose from Brexit, would be nothing less than a betrayal,” he added – and This Writer agrees.
Theresa May [has been] warned that Brexit will “betray an entire generation of young people” as a new poll showed teenagers who have now gained the vote back staying in the EU by more than five to one.
The YouGov survey found that 84 per cent of 18, 19 and 20-year-olds — too young to take part in the June 2016 referendum — support remaining in the European Union, with just 16 per cent opting for Leave.
People aged 20 to 24 who were able to take part in the Brexit referendum voted by three to one to Remain.
The analysis suggested the Leave majority of 2016 would be wiped out in January 2019, two months before the UK is due to quit the EU. The calculations were also based on elderly people, who mostly voted for Leave, dying.
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The EU is just a red herring, it has given the Tories a trouble free two years to continue dismantling our state. Apart from from some genuine sentiments about being part of the Continent and a few vague ideas about uniting under common purpose, what is the EU in fact?
In truth it just another Neo-Liberal monolith that has reduced the standard of living for its citizens, hence the discontent that has fueled racism and hate along with poverty not seen since the 1920s.
Economically it is a basket case, with only Germany and the Netherlands doing well out of it. Due to the Maastricht treaty the whole bases of a united Europe is being undermined by these regulations which treat each country as a separate trading entity.
Greece should be a warning to all of us, where this Monolithic organisation could have provided the essential capital to stabilise the Greek economy, but instead imposed the most draconian policies that it was possible to inflict, whilst asset stripping the country, causing poverty and misery without the slightest benefit to ordinary people in the long run, because the debt burden imposed will will hold back development for decades to come.
The other part of the EU debate is that no one today is any wiser about the benefits of remaining or leaving the EU than they were at the referendum for the same reasons, both sides pretending they know what they are talking about. No one will know much about anything until Theresa May presents her fait accompli.
Do people fully appreciate how Britain is being held back by its membership of the EU? Do they realise how much we import from the EU? Do they realise how we can survive by the fact we have our own currency, we can invest in whatever a progressive country decides outside the EU, which we can’t within it?
Clinging on to the EU is like the orchestra playing on the deck of the Titanic, because Germany is already making contingency plans for the collapse of Europe, whether we stay in or leave.
May I suggest that there is another criteria at work here. People who voted leave without knowing what a God awful mess the Tories would make of Brexit. Do pundits think the result would be the same amongst people who were eligible to vote in 2016, knowing what they know now?
Because that’s not how our democracy works. Can you imagine all of those people whose birthdays fell the day, week, or months after a General Election demanding a say? There was a cut off date and that must be respected. Had this not taken so long to deal with what would they have done, then? Part of growing up is learning that you can’t get everything your way. We voted. The result was declared and the Government of the day is charged with carrying out that instruction.
I have said, several times, that I have no problem with another referendum but 1) there must be a proper education programme, so that people can learn about what the E.U. is, how it works, what it does, what it is supposed to do etc. and so make up their minds based on knowledge of the institution, the membership of which was the subject of the question. We cannot base our decision on unknowns, or unknowables, as is currently the case. If you google what staying in the E.U. means, you will find nothing so, on what are those young people who want us to remain basing their decision? Nobody is telling us that.
2) the referendum is called after the result of the last has been seen through. To overturn the result of the last referendum, before that instruction has been fulfilled would set dangerous precedent. Where would it end? We mightn’t like the result, if we didn’t vote for it and there’s a great deal of fear ruling, at present but that was the result of possibly the most democratic vote that this country has had in… well, a long time. Nobody knows what will happen and anybody who tells you other wise is a liar.
People with birthdays after a general election know they’ll have their say next time. Those who couldn’t vote in the referendum won’t EVER have a say, but will have to live with the consequences longer than any of the rest of us (if spared). That is utterly unfair.
I thought the voting age was 18 not 21.
They are, or expect that many of the vote leave lot might have died since the 23rd June 2016. This started out as the common market for trade reasons not so some unelected parasites in Strasbourg or Brussels could force laws on us. I was about 9 years old when the UK joined and over the years we have had to accept many of the EU policies
, so where was the referendum for those that turned 18 when I did?
“…over the years we have had to accept many of the EU policies…”
Which ones, specifically, do you oppose?
The shambolic and unnecessary Cameron referendum was a right wing coup. They got the result they want and they have no intention of allowing people to change their minds. Wait until they get rid of our NHS our health & safety regulations (which were hard fought for by our ancestors), only then will people realise just how badly they were well and truly conned.
All the more reason to have a referendum on the brexit deal
Well Lammy should resign and stand for re election every year so that people who were to young to vote could then vote.
All MPs do that on a five year (maximum) rotation.