Should 16/17 year olds be allowed to vote in General Elections?

No, I have given reason for my argument. I am bored of repeating myself.

This point makes no sense. The vast majority of pensioners vote for whoever gives them the largest pensions, as a result of this pensions are always near the top of any party's agenda. Why can't 16/17 year olds have that same opportunity?

There has to be a lower cut-off somewhere, may as well be at 18 when children become adults.

Children only legally become adults at 18. There's no guarantee that they have the maturity of one. It shoudl be 16, if someone is clueless at 16, they will probably be so at 18.

And that's the bit that matters.

This point makes no sense. The vast majority of pensioners vote for whoever gives them the largest pensions, as a result of this pensions are always near the top of any party's agenda. Why can't 16/17 year olds have that same opportunity?

Because young people don't really vote.

So is that an argument in favour of 16 year olds or against pensioners? Neither group sounds like it's particularly useful to determining how the country is run.

And that's the bit that matters.

Why, is there some spiritual ritual once you become 18 in which you gain vastly knowledge of everything?

Nope, you just legally become an adult. I haven't made any reference to knowledge, experience or anything else so please don't try to put the words into my mouth

Well then it's irrelevant. sorry. But as soon as you can pay income tax, you should have a say in where it goes.

A 5 year old could pay income tax. A 5 year old does pay VAT. Shouldn't they have a say in where it goes?

VAT is not income tax, a 5 year old doesn't have a national insurance number. Income tax is a proportion of your salary that gets taken by the state and is then spent in various ways.

Im aware of what different taxes are. It seems you've missed the point.

You failed to dispute my point entirely, Once you are able to pay INCOME Tax you should have a say in where it goes.

That is my point exactly, and yet one group has no say and the other has possibly the largest say in the entire country. If 16/17 year olds were able to vote then education would become a priority for any party. Quite frankly, It just seems a bit primitive that these young people do not have the vote yet. Especially considering that near enough the exact arguments used for giving them the vote were the same in giving black people the vote, or women the vote.

No.

I don't even trust most 18 year olds to understand politics.

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VAT is not income tax, a 5 year old doesn't have a national insurance number. Income tax is a proportion of your salary that gets taken by the state and is then spent in various ways.