Trusting our Youngsters

The referendum taught the Scottish electorate a lot of things, but significantly it demonstrated that the inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds in the political process enriched it greatly.

It is with this knowledge that the recent move by the House of Lords to make it more difficult for young people to vote at 16 and above is so misguided.

A new report by the House of Lords Constitution Committee has argued that they should have a role in scrutinising the decision to devolve powers over the franchise to Scotland – and expressed concern that lowering the voting age in Scotland will “lead to pressure to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in other elections across the UK.”

I fail to see why this would be a problem. The Scottish Government decision to extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds during the referendum was very successful with around 90 per cent of the age group registering to put their X in the box.

There is something rather hypocritical about a group of unelected peers deciding that young adults in Scotland cannot take part in the democratic process, and if the trend was spread across the UK, then surely we would all be the better for it.

I would like Westminster to transfer the powers needed for younger people to vote in next year’s Scottish Parliament election, regardless of the report from the House of Lords. I would like to see 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland voting in Holyrood in 2016, and indeed the 2017 local authority elections, and I believe that the test case of the referendum has proved that not only can it be done, but it can be done well.

In a recent speech that I made on Young Voters and School Debates, I welcomed the upward trend in youngsters becoming engaged in politics. This continues to rise and challenges all notions that young people are not interested in the issues that define their lives.

Getting youngsters engaged is certainly not a new phenomenon, but the trend is on the up at the moment and we want to make the most of this. The young people that engaged on either side of the debate in the referendum should not be allowed to disappear. They should continue to be part of the process and the long term vision for change, with the initial enthusiasm spurring on a long term relationship with politics.

In an online survey launched by the Scottish Parliament’s Devolution committee in which 1,252 took part, young people voted overwhelmingly in favour of votes for 16 and 17 year olds. School debates engaged pupils across the country, and locally in Banffshire and the Buchan Coast. It was in schools that around 50 per cent of young voters were informed about the debate.

Around 80 per cent of these young people watched at least one of the major TV debates, 63 per cent discussed the referendum online, and 61 per cent wore campaign merchandise. Following the referendum, 63 per cent of those polled found out more about politics, 26 per cent joined a political party and 26 per cent took part in campaigning or in political activities.

Throughout the campaign, neither side of the debate fully realised the extent to which people were being empowered from the grass roots, and I believe we would be doing our young people a disservice by failing to pursue the younger voting age as a new part of our democratic process.

Where the Money Goes

This month has seen the passing of the 2015/16 budget for the Scottish Government – a financial master plan which will improve the economy, reduce inequality and reform public services.

Scotland’s position as being a global leader in renewables and low carbon development will be further cemented with increased investment of £20m to provide a total budget of £114 million in energy efficiency, and £3.9 million will be ploughed into supporting cycling and walking infrastructure.

Around £20 million of additional funding will tackle educational inequality and raise attainment for school children across the Banffshire and Buchan Coast, and an extra £10 million has been added to the £41 million allocated for local authorities who commit to maintain teacher numbers.

Frontline healthcare gets the money it needs to continue providing excellent care across the country with an additional £127 million on the budget from last year taking it to £383 million for 2015/16. NHS Grampian has had its frontline investment increased more than any other in Scotland since 2007 and this can only be welcomed by people in my constituency area.

Aberdeenshire will receive a share of the £10.8 billion local government allocation, with investment in the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, Aberdeen to Inverness Rail improvements on top of the significant investment such as in the building of HMP Grampian.

The future’s looking brighter with Finance Secretary John Swinney calculating that our economy is back above pre-recession levels and there are a record number of Scottish people in employment. Employment levels rose by 50,000 over the year to reach 2,612,000 which is the highest level since records began.

It is for this reason that £9.4 million has been allocated for housing across Aberdeenshire so that more people can get on the housing ladder and settle down in the area. Lives have been made harder by harsh Westminster cuts on spending and increased challenges for many a hard working family, and the budget is doing its best to soften the blow. Around £81 million has been provided specifically to mitigate against Westminster’s welfare reform, including the ‘Bedroom Tax’.

Levels of local government funding have been maintained and extra money has been put in for new responsibilities including pre-school nursery care for children. This will help parents get back into work and give children a better start in life – giving working families a fair deal.

This is a budget for a new year and one that builds on the Government’s track record since 2007, taking steps to meet the aspirations set out in last year’s referendum campaign. The SNP desire to work for the people of Scotland has not waned, and we will continually to strive for the very best.