Good morning, Nick,
I reckon 16 or 17 year olds should be given the vote - I think back to when I was 16 (in 1967). I wasn't (party) politically aware, but I already had the values I still hold of needing to treat people fairly, of equity being critical, of racism being an anathema, of wealth not being a way to assess worth. I couldn't …
I reckon 16 or 17 year olds should be given the vote - I think back to when I was 16 (in 1967). I wasn't (party) politically aware, but I already had the values I still hold of needing to treat people fairly, of equity being critical, of racism being an anathema, of wealth not being a way to assess worth. I couldn't have expressed them using the words I have now nor could I have aligned them with political parties, and I wasn't media savvy. But I knew right from wrong.
I have an 18 year old grandson who took part in a climate strike at his school in Scotland a couple of years ago - I'd have trusted him with a vote then and now.
Point of order: Rather than asking 'why not?', I think the question we all need to be asking, about all issues of importance is "Yes, and how?' When we ask why not, that's the answer we get - why we shouldn't do something, rather than how we can. (Note that my preference for 'Yes, and how?' goes with my disallowing the response 'Yes, but ...' when I'm facilitating problem solving sessions.)
'Yes, and how?' would be useful in finding solutions and it would also be useful in flushing out that particular policies won't work - keep asking yes, and how ... and eventually the nub of the matter gets exposed: try it with tax breaks for the most wealthy:
* 'Yes, and how will that impact middle income earners?'
* 'Yes, and how will that additional $2 per week alleviate the cost of living crisis for low income earners?'
* 'Yes, and how have previous tax breaks trickled down and improved workers' rates of pay/working conditions?'
And:
'Yes, and how have the oil companies self regulated the clean up of their sites and environs?'
'Yes, and how have we protected our taonga species here in NZ and in other countries through logging etc'
'Yes and how is the intensification of dairying helping the environment in Central Otago and Taranaki and the Waikato?'
I could go on (and I generally do, to be fair) but you get the picture.
Good morning, Nick,
I reckon 16 or 17 year olds should be given the vote - I think back to when I was 16 (in 1967). I wasn't (party) politically aware, but I already had the values I still hold of needing to treat people fairly, of equity being critical, of racism being an anathema, of wealth not being a way to assess worth. I couldn't have expressed them using the words I have now nor could I have aligned them with political parties, and I wasn't media savvy. But I knew right from wrong.
I have an 18 year old grandson who took part in a climate strike at his school in Scotland a couple of years ago - I'd have trusted him with a vote then and now.
Point of order: Rather than asking 'why not?', I think the question we all need to be asking, about all issues of importance is "Yes, and how?' When we ask why not, that's the answer we get - why we shouldn't do something, rather than how we can. (Note that my preference for 'Yes, and how?' goes with my disallowing the response 'Yes, but ...' when I'm facilitating problem solving sessions.)
'Yes, and how?' would be useful in finding solutions and it would also be useful in flushing out that particular policies won't work - keep asking yes, and how ... and eventually the nub of the matter gets exposed: try it with tax breaks for the most wealthy:
* 'Yes, and how will that impact middle income earners?'
* 'Yes, and how will that additional $2 per week alleviate the cost of living crisis for low income earners?'
* 'Yes, and how have previous tax breaks trickled down and improved workers' rates of pay/working conditions?'
And:
'Yes, and how have the oil companies self regulated the clean up of their sites and environs?'
'Yes, and how have we protected our taonga species here in NZ and in other countries through logging etc'
'Yes and how is the intensification of dairying helping the environment in Central Otago and Taranaki and the Waikato?'
I could go on (and I generally do, to be fair) but you get the picture.
Cheers, Nick, and keep up the kōrero - ka pai!
Marilyn
Thanks for your reply Marilyn. I really like the idea of "Yes, and how?", an excellent way to put things.
Yes and how to get people to exercise that vote? Get 16-18 year gen Z involved like baby boomers in the 1960's