What’s your most controversial opinion? **Read OP** **Mod Note in Post #3372**

Effect on exactly what you said. Effect on teenage involvement in politics.

Are you saying you don't think teenage involvement in politics would increase with allowing them to actually vote?

Ins't increasing their voting turnout the main goal?

They won't be all running around with leaflets and going to party meetings, but most people over 18 aren't doing that regularly either. I always vote and have never joined a party. Wouldn't it be enough of more of them voted regularly?

Voter Turnout wouldn't increase unless they voted at the same rate as the rest of the population. But increased votes in total by young people would force politicians to prioritise their issues more than they do now. At the momen, old people with homes outvoted young people without homes by 2:1. And I think it's not a coincidence that the government doesn't really bother to solve the housing shortage.

Housing Is just one issue, but I think it would have an impact on plenty of issues if more young people weren't barred from voting.

I'd like to know what the people protesting and even the people rioting across the UK and Ireland, actually want. Not a silly strawman "they're just thugs and racists" by middle class people. Also not self interested people like Farage and Tommy Robinson.

People who are getting a fair shake in life don't turn to violence. We know from our own history that violence comes after long-term inequality. We revere our violent rebels. We don't necessarily love the violence but we know about the inequalities thst caused it. Similar to the hammas boys. Don't love the violence but we understand the inequalities that caused it.

If, for example, they're cross because they live in areas with crap schools, crap job prospects, no chance of owning a house or having a family without state help, and they resent seeing immigrants come in and add to the population, then that's something I can understand. The solution is better schools, and better job prospects, home ownership and family prospects.

If they're just mindless thugs without a legitimate grievance, then how are they organised and coordinated?

The protestors (as distinct from the rioters) need a representative to calmly put across their point and then we can judge if they have a point or not.

I know, I know. That's the line, no need to find out more information. God forbid we find out they have a legitimate grievance underlying the protests and the anger.

It's as clever as when the British told each other the Irish were just acting out because they're an inherently uncivilised, violent people sono need to ask any more questions.

Right youre saying exactlythe things im on about. I'm not sure if you're doing it as satire or a genuine example of what I'm talking about.

I want to hear from them to judge for myself whether they have a genuine grievance or not. Not the self-interested Farage and Robinson, also not the clueless yob (remember the lad I the football jersey who said "they're coming here, taking our jobs and they're not even working"?). Someone who can sum up the underlying concerns, without reductive strawman stuff like you've done above.

Apologies if you're doing satire. It's hard to tell in text.

'they are xenophobic and racist' yep, they are.

Yep, they should not be ignored, they should be stopped, forcibly if necessary.

Well in the North they want to protect Christianity, given that it's not too long ago they would have wanted to protect Protestantism we can probably call that progress.

I'm not sure I've seen them seriously asked what they actually want and why they're so angry, through a grassroots representative, let alone the answers been debunked.

There are protests in my city, but they're not in the part I live in because it's grand part and me and my neighbours are doing fine, relatively speaking (stable jobs etc). We have nothing to fear from immigration. What's the difference between me and the people protesting?

I don't believe the immigrants are mass raping or committing a wave of violent crimes because it would show up in the stats. So the protestors are either completely wrong or they have experiences that I don't have. Asking questions will show which one it is.

@Cordell

OK, I get they want less immigration. I'm asking why immigration is a problem in their area.

If it doesn't go any deeper than not liking people who are different, then fine, they're just racist. If it does go further than that, what are the reasons they don't want immigrants?

I thought Brexit was going to solve all their problems.

Yes, like I said, they should not be ignored, they should be stopped, now, forcibly if necessary

That's actually a silly comparison as we know the people in Gaza are oppressed. Your right though, we should try to open up a dialogue with them and if they don't engage in this dialogue then we can accept that they are just scumbags who destroy things because they think it's fun.

Now think about that for a moment. You know the people of Gaza act violently because of some genuine grievance. And when I ask if the protestors and rioters have any genuine grievance, you say there's no need to even ask or try to find out.

There's no way you don't see the issue with that.

I've watched enough Israeli representatives who also tell us there's absolutely no issue and the Gazans are just doing it because they're violent thugs.

All classes immigrate.

Not even slightly related to.protests in the UK. Not similar. If You want to make excuses for racist thugs, go right ahead but don't expect others to believe your justification.

Ongoing media reports of x, y or z in Russia is "close to collapse" (yet somehow do not collapse) I regard as propaganda these days.

Not on a par with some of the above discussions but I've drawn ire on my head by saying The Quiet Man is sub Darby O'Gill paddywhackery of the highest.

Fairytale of New York and Fields of Athenry are both depressing dirges.

Not sure what you mean about postcode wars.

I mean the actual postcodes that act as catchment for each school. It's a huge factor in the trajectory of a child's life. We moved a 5 minute walk to be in a catchment for good schools. The schools in the catchment area we were living in were not good.

The primary schools act as feeder schools to secondary schools and that really matters in England.

Irish butter is top quality.

Tayto is a poor crisp now, in a sad half-empty bag, just trading on brand loyalty.

Wow. I can’t believe what I just read, but yet there it is.

Yeah that's a factor. The postcode can determine whether the schools spend their time tacking science or scallies. The impact on the education the children get is huge.

I live in a country town in the west of Ireland, there is hardly any property for sale here, and we have loads of people from Dublin moving here competing for the houses for sale and for rent here, so the Dubs can sell a house for 600 k in Dublin and come to my local town and buy a nice house for 300 k and have 300 k left over, also we have people from America, South Africa, France etc moving here. we dont riot about the fact or even hold anything against them for coming here, we just suck it up and mind our own business, why cant they do that in Dublin?