in my opinion i think that 18 is a reasonable age, most people under 18 are immature, foolish and just dont give a shit really.  When my school had an election for class president there were 2 candidates, not so hard of a choice, but being foolish and immature most of the students just wrote in a third candidate and voted for him as a joke, it is a serious matter and i believe that most 16 yrs are not mature enough to vote

Maybe they did that because they knew it didn't really matter? In my final year of university a new student president was elected. Michael Bottom did not have good policies, he did not care about student welfare, he did not run a campaign. What he did do was have a funny surname. Adults (the vast majority of whom were over 18) elected him then wondered who the moron speaking to the press and the national union on students on their behalf was.

Election maturity often has nothing to do with age, a young adult aged 16 can cope with the responsibility of the vote. It also puts pressure on the government to support young adult education, apprenticeships, and encourage companies to take students straight from school.

until society changes, they shouldnt really allow the vote to 16 yr olds. for the following reasons

-yes they can be "immature" - but this is also down to society, ti this changes and the power of voting becomes instilled, its not overly worth it to just lower the minimum age. as technically 18 is still the legal "adult" term out laws and society has.
-hey look the minimum age for sex is supposedly 16 but you see so many under that getting pregnant, or doing it cause they can and misusing the right they may or so have. again possibly down to society.
they do not have the faith instilled in them, coz the very vast majority do not give ground to instill faith in.
-yes they can pay taxes, more because if u bugger off out of school u shud go work, minimum employment full time etc age IS 16 because (more so) of this. their choice to not go to school= they need to contribute- also aside from the fact if they werent paying taxes on WAGES,( i stress this highly), every other man and his dog would say, thats not bloody fair; we work too and - why the hell shud a 16 yr old be treated any different from us in the workplace. this again is more to do with society and laws. plus the fact i doubt any govt wud want another case of the riots, for any reason

however i can see yes why they should, it is their future, they will have to grow up in that future, and they can learn to behave appropriately.

but until this happens, and society changes to facilitate their "eye opening" and instil the common sense to actually think before acting for the vast majority of the population, it is unlikely to ever change.

as the saying goes, the majority ruin it for the minority.

personally, i wouldnt want to vote for any right now, as they are ALL as bad as each other, and very rarely answer any question straight up. and with bull shit like we have had in them going back on promises that got them elected in the first place.
though labour seems to be the lesser of 2 evils. at the moment.

I would say no. Aged 16 (as a general overlook) most have not experienced a true extent of working (taxes) to create their own judgement. I would think parents would have a major impact with their own views.

On a side note, I thought it was compulsory to attend full time education until aged 18. A new law brought in?

good points both of you.

You know my views so I will let someone else respond to you both except to say that full time education is compulsory till you are 16 Tommy.

The following is not set in stone but...

The Elementary Education Act 1870, also known as Forster's Education Act[21] created the concept of compulsory education for children under thirteen. Ten years after the Elementary Education Act 1880 insisted on compulsory attendance from 5–10 years.
Now in the United Kingdom compulsory education begins between four and a half and five and a half; since 1972 it has ended at the age of 16. But from 2013 compulsory education, be it traditional classroom education or training is planned to be raised to the age of 17, and from 2015 to the age of 18.[22]

All I know is that my year group can leave School when we're 16 if we want to (as long as we either get a job, apprenticeship, etc.) but that the year group below me (and all the younger year groups) will have to stay until they are 17-18.

All I know is that my year group can leave School when we're 16 if we want to (as long as we either get a job, apprenticeship, etc.) but that the year group below me (and all the younger year groups) will have to stay until they are 17-18.

yeah thats the new law brought in.