U.K. Press Comment On 18-Year-old Franchise

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29001, 16 September 1959, Page 8

U.K. Press Comment On 18-Year-old Franchise

LONDON, September 14. A proposal by the Labour Party, which has created a great deal of interest and comment, is a recommendation by the party’s youth commission that • the legal voting age be lowered from 21 to 18. Both the Labour and Conservative Parties have been paying particular attention to the demands of youth, and have been trying to attract the votes of the younger people. The Labour Party report has come too late to be written into the party’s election manifesto, but it is bound to have some political repercussions, as in effect it suggests what the Party intends to do if it should come to power. In its statement on the voting age the Labour Party said that young Conservatives had recruited thousands of • young people to their cause, while the trade unions had failed to interest them. At 18. it went on, men and women could bet and be employed on tracks. At 18 they could drink intoxicants in public houses. At 18 they ceased to be “children" or even “young persons” under the Children and Young Persons’ Act of 1933. At 18 they paid adult rates of national insurance. At 18 they lost benefits of the Youth Employment Service Act. At 18 they were liable for military service. Entitled to Vote? If young people were thought fit in such ways, why should they have to wait three years or more to be entitled to vote? The "Daily Mirror,” which strongly supports Labour, conducted a nation-wide poll on the question. The poll showed an overall two to one majority in favour of votes at 18. In addition, voters more than the age of 21 declared by a majority of five to three that the vote should be given to 18-year-olds. The “Daily Mirror” called this most dramatic, and said if young people were fit to get

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married and work at skilled trades, or die for their country, they were surely fit to vote for their country. If the 18 to 20-year-olds did get a vote they would soon force politicians to take the needs of youth more seriously, it said. The reaction of anti-Labour and independent newspapers to the proposal has been generally against it. “The Times” “The Times” said it was to be hoped not too much emphasis would be put on the recommendation, even if for the reason that the subject by no means had been thought out thoroughly. The “Guardian,” while admit-

ting it was hard to marshall reasons for opposing the idea which did not sound either impossibly conservative or churlish, said it might be wondered how such inexperienced voters would be a prey to extremist influences.

But against this, it was possible that giving the younger people votes would encourage them to take politics more seriously. The verdict at present, it concluded, must be “not proven.” The “Daily Sketch,” which published alongside its editorial a picture of a typical teddy boy —his face blacked, out—said, in ah article headed: /'Should he have the vote?” “The Labour Party plan to divert the electorate with promises' of votes at 18 would most appeal to teddy boys, louts, the under-privileged in platform shoes, and mean votes for the bicycle-chain and the knuckleduster.”