Together Gibraltar welcomes the government's launch of a consultation on lowering the voting age to sixteen as outlined in their manifesto.

As firm proponents of wider political participation we are grateful to the government for kicking off this process and for including the public in the decision-making. However it’s disappointing that the consultation will run over the festive period including Hanukkah and Christmas, a time when many people will be incredibly busy and less likely to want to engage with politics.

While we agree with the government’s points about allowing young people to engage in the political process, we feel strongly that they must also address core problems with political participation.

Throughout the last election the GSLP/Liberals were accused of “buying votes”, a symptom of the transactional style of politics both they and the GSD have engaged in. We must ask ourselves why politics has become focused on what people can get out of it rather than on what they can give back to their community. Without broader change, this decision is likely to be seen as a self-serving and cynical move by the public rather than a genuine attempt to include sixteen and seventeen year olds who, like many others, have been left behind by old-school politics.

Young people in particular should be given the chance to learn about our political system in schools and the local curriculum must be tailored to ensure they can learn about Gibraltar’s local history and the unique challenges we face.

Together Gibraltar looks forward to providing a full submission to the consultation and will be hosting a debate on the topic at the John Mackintosh Hall 12th December.