Voting debacle

Published on 15/09/2012 00:00

NEWS that the UK government is negotiating a deal with the SNP to hold the independence referendum in 2014 with the age limit reduced to 16 years of age is unwelcome to many voters in Scotland and the UK (your report, 14 September).

This is an insult to the people of Scotland. Why should referendum and election rules be changed for this one vote.

The voting age has been 18 for decades and there has been no serious movement to reduce this over the years, so why now?

If this goes ahead then the voting age for future elections and referendums should also be reduced to 16, which I would suggest would be resisted by the majority of opinion across the UK.

What right do today’s politicians have in changing the age limit without any reference to the Scottish or UK parliaments to allow MPs and MSPs to vote on the issue?

Yet again, our political masters are tramping roughshod over many years of history.

A sad day for our country, but there again how much care and attention is given to majority opinion in modern Scotland?

Iain J McConnell

Gifford

East Lothian