The German Green Party held it's virtual party meeting this weekend. So, some things came out of this discussion group and their path ahead.
First, the party 'boss' (Robert Habeck) did a hyped-up speech and folks were kinda thrilled. He's the Chancellor candidate for the fall 2021 election for the party, and right now....he's pretty close in the polls to win (the CDU Party might argue about this).
Second, the Greens are pushing the topic of getting the voting age to 16 years old. Public opinion over this? Lot of divisions here. Some Germans at 16....are in the apprentice field....making money. The idea that they'd be smart enough or wise enough for the responsibility? Some Germans would argue that two or three million Germans aren't wise enough even at age thirty...to vote.
One other curious issue....as long as you commit a crime in Germany and under the age of 19....you are treated as a juvenile. So it's an odd thing....treated as a kid/juvenile as you assault someone, but respected as an adult when it comes time to vote. Logically speaking....something is wrong about this thought.
Both the SPD and Linke Parties kinda support the age 16 vote idea....so it might happen in the next two years.
Third, the Greens talked up the idea of having regular citizens involved 'more' in political decisions. There would be random groups of people....making up local councils to discuss matters and pass 'advice' up the chain to the Bundestag.
The possibility that you'd get a lot of confused or ill-informed people giving you advice? Well....it's best not to point this factor out.
Course, you might be shocked that you did this and suddenly two-thirds of the country actually want a limited asylum program in place, with a limit of 100k incoming folks a year. That would be a sore point with the Green Party leadership and they'd probably dump the council advice forum real quick.
Another issue tied into this....how would people get randomly selected for this advice council? What if you came to forty people in the Bavarian region who got notified they were selected, and they said 'hell no'....they didn't want the job of giving the political establishment advice.
All of this appealing for the fall 2021 election? Wait and see.
4 comments:
Keep it at 18 but remove it at 65. Your contribution to the tax dollars is over then, and you're not capable of thinking long term in the exact way 15 year olds struggle to think of the long term.
The Green Party enthusiasm for the age change....getting the Greta 'kids' lined up to vote in mass. You could probably count on 2-million extra votes to go entirely for the Green Party. My gut feeling is that if you treat all folks up to 19 as juvenile criminals....how can you give them the right to vote? You'd have to change both issues, and they don't seem willing to talk over that problem.
I would think is a bad idea to lower the voting age, i see at my daughter...she is a teenager born and raised here in Canada, i am an immigrant to Canada from the Eastern block, she argues with me for the most ridiculous things when is very clear what the right choice should be. I would not trust their judgement at 16. They make terrible choices and are very naive and gullible they believe anything a youtube influencer spouts...
Claudio, I tend to agree. I might even suggest that I can find 5-percent of Germans who think the voting age ought to be raised to 20 or 21. But this gullible-factor is an issue that will be long-discussed over the next year. The fact that demonstrations are occasionally occurring with school-age kids in Germany....ages 12-to-16...makes you wonder about the future.
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