- Jan 18, 2009
- 4,887
Two things. One, whatever went on, the liberties of peadophiles were not actually improved. No one made it legal or lowered the age of consent. No kid got kidnapped thanks to Harriet Harman. It's just another moral panic, another example of mock offendedness, though this time carried out by the same people who accuse Labour of it in spades.
Secondly you become eligable to vote at 18. There is not ONE sitting MP under 30. Not one. Yet they have vital experience, that of actually being as young as a huge demographic of voters. Why should anyone who qualifies for a Club 18-30 holiday have to vote for a professional politician in their 50s?
Oh and a third thing actually. Much of the experience the older generation have is experience of failure.
That misses the point, there are plenty of examples were politicians associate themselves with dubious policies which are unfulfilled, that does not mean they (the politicians/policies) should not be exposed to vigorous public scrutiny.
Frankly I have a bigger problem with millionaire establishment socialist types like Harman who extols the virtues of policies like comprehensive education yet she sent her own kids to fee paying schools, but then hypocrisy is part of this story too, not least given her horror at the conduct of Saville et al.
Re your view on the older generations failures, I guess it may depend on your age; from my perspective I see older generations who prevailed in the biggest struggle that this country has ever been involved in. I think they are marginalised and their legacy has been pissed up the wall by subsequent generations. They are no failures.