YOUNG FINNS TO VOTE AT 16 ?

There have been rumours and a few real debates in Finland recently. Many, it seems, are wanting the voting age to drop to 16 years of age. This, it is claimed, might help the perceived alienation of young folk when it comes to politics. Even right of centre politicos have come out in agreement here. However easy it might be to trash this move there is a need, I think, to tackle the big stories involved.

The alienation condition is at least three dimensional and involves both the individual living a productive life / the human being with a species nature society and thirdly the human being with Nature itself. I suspect that any non-alienating futures will entail a few very revolutionary changes before they are realised.

It might also be good to hear from those that want voting at 16 to say just how such an act of citizenship will be reasonably attended to when schools are hardly democratic in themselves and where any critical or even liberal studies are thrown out as being a waste of human resources and inappropriate for markets.

Maybe it is all about showbiz and image and celebrity politics.