By: Dan Guthrie, 16 year old aspiring journalist | Website
2016 has not been a great year. Hate crime has dramatically
risen in the UK after the result of the EU referendum, and has started to
manifest itself in the US after the result of their presidential election. A
lot of this violence and anger has been targeted towards people of colour,
Eastern European people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
I would love to have my voice heard about these life
changing issues, and contribute to decisions about these topics, but sadly I
cannot, because I am only sixteen years old, and legally I cannot vote yet.
However, I can get married, change my name by deed poll and join the army. I am
allowed to fight for my country, but not choose who decides the budget for it.
Of the people who can vote however, the overwhelming
majority that swings the decisions appears to be the older generation.
Statistics from YouGov find that 64% of those that they surveyed over 65 years
old voted to leave the EU, and the US election exit polls found that 55% of
those over 65 years old voted for Donald Trump. Chances are though, those in
this demographic won’t live long enough to feel the impact of these major
decisions, and it is my cohort that get to live through it. If 16 and 17 year
olds were given the vote, then the Student Room predicts that 82% would have
voted to stay, making the overall vote to Remain. However, MPs blocked the plan
to let my demographic vote, meaning that our voices were not heard during this
important time.
Personally, I feel let down by my current politicians, due
the fact that I was unable to express my views about how I want my country to
be run. As a young black man, I now feel threatened by the shifting viewpoints
of our nation. Despite the fact that I was born in London, one of the most
diverse places on Earth, when I walk through the streets of UK cities now, I
can feel people judging me to see if I’m “one of the good ones” or not. The UK
now feels like a collection of people slowly turning on each other for being
different, rather than the diverse and accepting melting pot that I grew up in.
Sadly, there’s nothing we can really do. Protests and
petitions may work to get our voices heard, but at the end of the day, the
decisions are either up to all of us, or an elite minority. The best thing to
do is just accept the changes for now, and continue to keep at what we’re
doing, campaigning to get all of our voices and opinions heard.
I can fight for my country, but can't choose who leads it: We need votes at 16
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