Unless politics becomes part of the curriculum, at the same time the kids could influenced by the teacher, I would say no.

Raise it to 21 imho!

Agree, raise to 21.

You are correct Jamie, they’re too open to outside influences.

Do women have the vote?

21 is a sensible age to start voting but with the T*ATS presently in power this will never happen.

Still don't know why I have only 12 posts to my name - should be nearer 2000?

I would say yes- but then I'm one of those dreadful influential teachers that you speak of

I think it's fine. Scotland have it ........

Not for General Elections.
Look at the state they’re in, hardly a shining beacon of achievement.

That's not the point Mr S

You’re too young at 16 and you’re just a child.

I started work at 16, had a job and a motorbike - but was still only a child beneath the surface, and of course too easily influenced by others.

I like the Mr S tag…..reminds of those 60’s secret agents who had a glamorous lifestyle and women begging him for ‘attention’…….complete opposite of my ‘lifestyle’…

I'd raise the voting age to 30 for Men and 48 for women....just when the Menopause is kicking in. That would be interesting.

Agreed, I don’t think I completely grew up until I got married and we had our first child - that focused my mind and engendered responsibility - I was 25 by then. Far too many of the present day numbnuts in their late teens or early twenties are nowhere near grown up. To give raw 16 year olds the right to vote is simply ludicrous and can only be be considered as a political ploy to get into young minds and influence polling figures.

There’s a trend towards youngsters, now thinking they’re mature at ever younger ages yet the evidence is they’re actually immature well into their twenties.

I don’t believe kids are as streetwise as we were, they are never outside, too busy playing on their X box or Nintendos

cannot blame the kids as much as the adults who have made them that way. they do not even call them school kids anymore. its either young adults or in school students. just call em what they are as if you make em feel more important than they ar they will demand the vote at 16 and a few years down the line they,ll want it lowering again. yes its there future but will eventually have years to change it to the future they want and should remain just kids for longer.

Nope, 18 is old enough, and I would also ban millionaires, those who own more than 3 homes from having a vote , and standing as MPs.

i,d bet starmer would love to lower the voting age to 16 plus stopping all pensioners voting to give him his 1,000 year labour reich.

In Scotland the SNP gave the 16 year olds on the Independence vote but still lost it, 16 years old would vote for Reform not Labour.

Labour ministers lie on their CV's.....how do teachers explain that to the kids of today,jamie?

Never realised it was now de rigueur to vote Labour.

Don't worry Sussex- I'll do my best!
Though will also point out just how morally bankrupt the previous Tory regime were too- just for balance!

Civil servants, that includes teachers, should be politically neutral unless dealing with established historical facts.
I recall my rather strict high school education were political views were a no no, one younger teacher was summarily dismissed for propagating his opinions on the pupils.

People can be liberal with the truth on their CV, not that a politician should do, when we were recruiting it was some times mandatory for prospective employees to submit a CV. There was a nucleus of people we knew who we employed on previous projects, some of their CVs looked like they had put together by AI. There were ‘unkowns’ whose CV would have qualified them as rocket scientists, it’s a sacking offence if you are found to have deliberately lied on your CV

Difficult to enforce as teachers and civil servants not all of them belong to unions which is not mandatory who back the Labour Party.

even back in my day teachers seemed a bit left wing an the ones i have met since have to a man and woman been the same. doubt you,ll find one who is open about trans issues even if at the back of there minds they do not agree.

What has union membership or the Labour Party got to do with it.
Simple, don’t discuss politics with kids unless part of the curriculum. End of.

Society gets more intolerant of those who do not conform to the new diktats of society….rather Orwellian where we say 2+2 is 5 but know it’s 4…but bite our lip in compliance….or suffer the consequence.

its only part of society that does where the silent majority think the opposite way to those who pose as being intellegant.

Yep it'd getting a bit close to there being thought crime, dictionary alteration and controlling history to control the present.

You were inferring teachers, civil servants shouldn’t have an affiliation to a political party, they are members of unions who support the Labour Party.

Too right Imp…As Orwell said……
‘Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the the present controls the past’. ….and…. history can be rewritten to suit the writer.

Just because you are in a union doesn’t mean you support the Labour Party.
Just because you’re a shop steward doesn’t mean you support the Labour Party.
It means you support the Union.
I was inferring no such thing about their political affiliations.
I was inferring that politics is not for the classroom unless part of the syllabus and employee in such settings be strictly neutral.

In answer to the original question, yes.

You’ve still got two years to go then Walter.

Politics should be part of the education system providing it’s taught on a level playing field,most kids when they leave school have no idea who their local MP is.

That’s what I was saying Jamie…through the syllabus, neutrally and local politics as well without fear or favour and solely on the facts.
My Dad was staunch Labour and mother an equally firm Tory.
They had countless ‘debates’ over the subject, eventually they found a common ground over the years….but listening to them you’d think he’s got a point and she’s got a point, which I now appreciate….no Party has all the answers.

think it would be nearly impossible for any teacher to be neutral on this subject. one slight step out of line with a throw away comment would see some parent bashing down the school gates because sir said something to their little johnny they did not agree with. as for kids not knowing the name of their mp i,d guess many who cannot be arsed also are the same. fact is i know mine but only one who represents areas that border mine and thats because i know her personally.