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File photo Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

Sinn Féin and Greens call for lowering of voting age

The issue of the current voting age is set to be discussed at the first meeting of the Constitutional Convention in early December.

BOTH SINN FEIN and the Green Party have called for the voting age to the lowered.

The calls come just days after the date of the first meeting of the Constitutional Convention was announced for early December, at which the issue is set to be discussed.

Senator Kathryn Reilly of Sinn Féin expressed her disappointment that the Constitutional Convention has no plans to consider lowering the age to 16 but says she still hopes that it will be successfully lowered to 17.

I am honoured too to be part of Sinn Féin’s team on the Constitutional Convention and will be pushing fully for full voting rights for 17-year-olds south of the border too. Sinn Féin is disappointed that the government has chosen not to mandate the Convention to look at voting rights for 16-year-olds.

The Green Party, however, still hope for the age to be lowered to 16 in the case of local and European elections.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan believes that a lowering will help young people to become more involved in politics.

For many years we have been calling for the voting age to be reduced. If want [sic] our young people to take politics seriously then we need to take their views seriously.
People learn about the voting system in the Junior School cycle so they are better prepared than anyone else for that decision. We look forward to the debate in the Convention where we will be calling for the rules to be changed so that young people can vote in the Local and European elections in 2014.

What do you think should happen to the voting age in Ireland?


Poll Results:

Lower it to 17 (412)
Keep it at 18 (363)
Lower it to 16 (310)
It should be higher (31)

Read: Argentina lowers its voting age to 16 >

Read: Youth lobby launches campaign seeking votes for 16-year-olds >

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85 Comments
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    Mute somethingodd
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    Nov 14th 2012, 2:30 PM

    Fantastic stuff, good to see external faith, these small steps is what our banks need, just as long as they get carried away again.

    185
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    Mute James Hyland
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    Nov 15th 2012, 2:00 AM

    fantastic stuff my arse
    sure why wouldnt anyone not jump on the sale when the Irish worker/taxpayer bails out the banks every time they mess it up
    yeah i fecked up again(banker to gov)
    nwo prob heres another trillion yoyos(gov to banker)

    3
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    Mute Trish Walsh
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    Nov 14th 2012, 2:29 PM

    Bet they’re not going to repay any government support

    107
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    Mute Abbi Cranky
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    Nov 14th 2012, 4:01 PM

    Actually Trish Bank of Ireland are paying back the government with huge interest. I’m not defending them but the bailouts weren’t free money. The state is making plenty from them.

    125
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    Mute HARRY MARKOPOLOS
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    Nov 14th 2012, 7:49 PM

    Without state support?

    So I take it that the customers, that they shaft on a daily basis with their interest rate hikes and such like are from outside the state?

    ”Without” state support?
    More like ”With” life support, from the citizens of Ireland.

    A close colleague of mine fell into arrears on his mortgage with this so called ”bank” through no fault of his own and all I can say is that they treated him with nothing more than antagonistic, insightful, contempt.

    Without state support?
    from the bank where the civil service and state does its banking.

    15
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    Mute Jay Coleman
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    Nov 14th 2012, 3:20 PM

    Anyone else find it ironic that we as a Nation was slated for borrowing beyond our means and now BOI borrow twice what they actually needed?

    106
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    Mute Eileen Gabbett
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    Nov 14th 2012, 6:25 PM

    Jay
    I was just going to comment on the same irony. I can not see how borrowing this kind of money is a good thing . We are being told to live within our means and even at that it is a struggle for some of us . Then the bank borrows twice its intention. ?

    15
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    Mute Diarmuid Brennan
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    Nov 14th 2012, 2:40 PM

    Crooks!! U need €3000 to get interest on ur savings!! I want nothing to do with banks!! They keep taking but the give nothing back!!

    100
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    Mute Conor
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    Nov 14th 2012, 8:45 PM

    No you don’t?

    7
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    Mute Ruth Ardiff
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    Nov 14th 2012, 2:48 PM

    Should something go wrong, will these ‘unguaranteed’ bond holders be paid?

    92
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    Mute Karl Phelan
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    Nov 14th 2012, 2:50 PM

    “Unguaranteed” they say.. Nothing is Unguaranteed when it comes to the Irish Taxpayer..

    88
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Nov 14th 2012, 4:04 PM

    Wanted only 500m. Offered 2.5billion. Lol. Risk free lending guaranteed by the irish people.

    29
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    Mute bandido anuso
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    Nov 14th 2012, 3:44 PM

    Twice what they “intended”or expected to be able to borrow Jay, not needed. They are still largely reliant on ECB and ICB funds.

    21
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    Mute Frank2521
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    Nov 14th 2012, 4:37 PM

    They need it for the staff pensions.
    Have the taxpayer now guaranteed this also??

    16
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    Mute Garry Fitzgerald
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    Nov 14th 2012, 6:00 PM

    Frank
    You have the neck to return to the fray after your recent contribution was deleted but not before I mailed it to interested parties who are now taking actions on it.

    7
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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Nov 14th 2012, 3:36 PM

    @ Danny
    Ive nothing against red heads, for the record.
    Ill make it simple for you and them- Legislation to be:
    Any official who is employed in a Financial institution where the state is the majority shareholder, will have all income over *** K levied at a rate of 99.9%

    Just like the meerkat add : )

    9
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    Mute Rory Conway
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    Nov 14th 2012, 4:05 PM

    Nigel, that is so dumb.

    28
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    Mute Philip Cavanagh
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    Nov 14th 2012, 5:36 PM

    It’s not dumb, its simples

    7
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    Mute Garry Fitzgerald
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    Nov 14th 2012, 6:03 PM

    Nigel
    I want my money back…that is….the money the State invested in the commercial Banks to keep them afloat. Your idea is to run the very Senior Managers out and have these huge and complex Organisations run by less than qualified people. That way….according to your plan I or we don’t get our money back. Clever thinking Nigel…….old boy!

    14
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    Mute mike
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    Nov 14th 2012, 7:53 PM

    Then we get that elusive debt deal, you can be sure that the ecb will insist on taking the shares the govt currently holds in our banks. We will be glad then that boi managed to stay independent.

    5
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    Mute Clive Clarke
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    Nov 14th 2012, 9:06 PM

    You do all know that the Bank of Ireland is NOT an irish bank!!!

    5
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    Mute Mary Ward
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    Nov 14th 2012, 4:58 PM

    That bank of ireland borrowing without state support – such a misleading heading. Bank of Ireland knows well it is one of the banks that the Government and I mean the curretn govt alias Michael Noonan pledged to keep recapitalised to the standards set out in the memo of understanding signed by him with the EU and IMF in May 2011 a Memorandum another internatinal agreement charging the public funds and not a piece of legislation to implement it. We may give out about the germans but one message coming throug form all their court actions on the esm and so forth namely – it si nto A merkel who rule but the bundestag or put anor way the People thorugh their elected reps. But the dail here is nothing mroe than a puppet pulled by the Govt wiht the whip.

    5
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    Mute Mary Ward
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    Nov 14th 2012, 7:37 PM

    I see that most of the cash lent to bank of ireland by german and austrian investors. I wonder why? ??
    Oh yes sure dont they know that Ireland will have to come back to A Merkel (with the blessing of the bundestag) for another bail out a load of whihc will ahve to go to the banks – bit like greece at moment. What really make my furious is our esteemed politicina and leaders. Try and remmebr anyone reeadin the one thing a politicina will alwaya take heed of and for – your VOTE. And next time around – Im calling on any one interested enough to lobby locally and get petitions locally – I am putting feelers out – and if they your loacl rep starts seeing loads and loads of signatured of belonging to voters = the whip may stop cracking so thouroughly .

    1
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