Lowering the age will get the unions like Unite and the Labour associated unions into the schools, ably assisted by the teachers who will “help things along” for the left vote. Quite scary stuff.

I would also disagree with your notion, that you can place more value on certain peoples votes. I am under the belief that anyone one person applicable to vote, should be entitled to the same weight as any other.

Good to know you consider her to be a liability that isnt well liked by the people though

I saw her on TV1 http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/2209255 and big bro hear her on radio…

1. These kids knew the whole thing was pretend, and many cast a vote as a joke or with the hope of “shocking” oldies. Judging by the “OMG, the Legalise Cannabis Party!!!” horror going on on this thread, they succeeded. Many commenters here have told how they delighted pre-election in giving phone pollsters ridiculous and inaccurate responses – did it ever occur to you this is just the kids doing the same? Give them the real responsibility of casting a vote and I suggest they’d take it seriously. I don’t know about the cannabis vote, but there’d certainly have been less for Bill & Ben.

2. The majority of Winston’s support came from the other end of the age spectrum. Since their choices were also clearly stupid, then KiwiGreg’s suggestion that we weight votes on a sliding scale due to age is simply the logical extension of assuming all young people are stupid and shouldn’t vote.

3. My 20-something kids, both voting for the first time, were so unimpressed by Labour and National that they were seriously discussing voting Bill & Ben as a way to express that disgust. Rather than simply being a lark, it’s possible the vote for Bill & Ben – amongst these kids and amongst the registered voters who actually did vote for them – is saying to politicians “we’re so disgusted by you lot we’d rather waste our vote on a couple of clowns than give it to any of you”.

4. This is why we need civics taught in schools, and discussions of issues of issues, philosophies and solutions to occur outside of just social studies and maybe geography.

5. In short, you’re underestimating young people, DPF. Yet you’re not that old yourself… which leaves you in danger of being called a young fogey

6. Oh crap. I think I may just have agreed with Sue Bradford on something. Somebody shoot me.

Would be interesting to see a Green + Bill & Ben + Legalise Cannabis + Maori Party coalition with both Major parties shut out, but sadly that comes up short of a majority and a National + Labour coalition could still shut them out. Pity…

I neither said or implied anything of the sort, dime. Sue Bradford is not well liked by people on the right – I think that is because she is effective in challenging their ideology and has been effective in getting legislative change through that they are not happy with. She’s liked well enough and considered effective enough in the Green Party for her to have been ranked by the democratic vote of their members at No 3 on their party list for each of the last 3 elections.

I agree that only taxpayers (paying tax on a real income, not a welfare cheque) should be allowed to vote. Beneficiaries are essentially being paid to vote a certain way. When you rely on the government to provide an income, you will vote for the party that will give you the most money. This is the reason that National can’t abolish benefits (even though they should).

I know a stay at home dad (5 kids, some his, some hers), wife works: he voted ACT.

Isn’t every family a beneficiary under WFF?

E X P A N D – Z E E – M I N D

should add: recently married too. The nerve!

After all, they are so adamant that we must help the poor that I am certain they would be happy to voluntarily give 30% of their income for that reason…

Good to know you consider her to be a liability that isnt well liked by the people though

The DPB should be abolished too. It is not the place of society to be forced to pay young women to have children.

You people have no grip on reality whatsoever do you.

Really DPF? Were all the participants in the survey 16 and 17 year olds? That wasn’t the case was it? So what reason(s) can you give for reaching that conclusion? Or are you just talking out the wrong end … again …

Doubt you saw Gerry Brownlee either, despite him being No 3 on the Nats’ list, as Sue Bradford was on the Greens’. The media focus is very much on Leaders during election campaigns and other MPs struggle to get much of a profile, unless, like Maurice Williamson and Lockwood Smith, they stuff up.