Many under-18s are working, take drugs and have a sex life, but they are still not allowed to vote. They have opinions but can't do anything about them. Here, for The Big Issue magazine, the next generation of voters talk about their Voting, Europe, Crime, Homelessness, Poverty and the Future.
| I’d like to think that I will vote, but at moment I don’t understand what any of the politicians say. |
Stuart FIetcher, 14
Im in Year 10 at Holloway School for Boys. I like Oasis, West Ham and comedy. I don't like Liam Gallagher, David Mellor or homework.
Senab Adekunle, 14
I go to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson secondary school in Islington. Im in Year 9 and I support Arsenal My hobbies are singing, drawing and making clothes. I like R&B and soul and I hate rock and roll and country music.
Shahi Ahmed, 14
I go to Swanley school in Whitechapel. I support Liverpool Football Club because theyre the best and I hate Manchester United because they beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final. Im into soul and jungle music.
Julia Press, 16
Im in Year 12 at Queen Elizabeth's Girls School in Barnet, Herts. I dont like homework but I like acting, drama, indie and rock music.
Rachel Bulford, 16
Im at South Hampstead High School and I take my GCSEs this year. I like most types of music, especially Crowded House and Radiohead. I hate exams, schoolwork and snobs.
VOTING
Shahi: I think it is important to vote because you should get your view across. But you don't know whether the decision you make is right or wrong because they change their policies while they're in power.
Julia: I'd like to think that I will vote, but at moment I don't understand what any of the politicians say. I don't see how people like me can understand what's going on because the they don't talk in a language you can relate to.
Senab: At school we had a vote on a new summer uniform. There were loads of designs and we all got to vote for whatever one we wanted. If you vote, whatever happens, at ]east you've had your say.
Rachel: I think that people should vote, especially women, because people kill themselves to get the vote. I would vote for the Labour Party because the Government has become so big-headed because they've been in power for four terms and they don't think that they can be touched.
Stuart: I'd probably vote for the Liberal Democrats because their policies are different to the others.
Shahi: I'd vote Labour because I don't like John Major and I don't know anything about Paddy Ashdown.
Julia: I'd vote for the Monster Raving Loony party because they talk English and make more sense than the other parties.
Senab: I would vote for Labour because my mum does - we agree on politics.
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EUROPE
Stuart: For me the most important issue is Europe. By the time I can vote Britain will be run by Brussels. We will have lost our laws and economy. Our vote won't really count for very much because there will be 100 other countries, with different views and policies, voting as well. We will have lost everything.
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CRIME
Stuart: In my area juvenile crime is a problem. There's lots of gangs that go around and break people's windows and smash up cars. The police tell them off but the next day you see them and they're doing the same thing. It's stupid but I don't know what they should do.
Senab: We need to sort out crime. I don't feel safe in my area, especially at night. Gangs of boys go round stabbing each other. The other day a boy got stabbed and he died.
Shahi: I was with some friends a few weeks ago and we got stopped by the police because a house nearby had been burgled. They searched us because Asian youths had been seen running away. The police shouldn't be able to do that because it makes you look bad when you haven't done anything.
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HOMELESSNESS
Julia: More should be invested in places for homeless people to go. There are two homeless people who sleep in the same road as I live in. They sleep in the doorways of shops. I see them quite often but they are rude to everyone. I think that people who behave like that perpetuate stereotypes about homeless people which is bad because not all homeless people are like that.
Stuart: It makes me feel bad when I see homeless people because they haven't got a place to live. Zero Tolerance is wrong because you can't move homeless people off the streets if there's nowhere for them to go. What's the point of picking people up and not being able to take them anywhere?
Senab: I think that the Government should try to help homeless people by cutting down on things we don't need and planning their finances properly. Homeless people should be able to benefit from everything that goes on around us, like the National Lottery.
Shahi: I see a lot of people who are homeless and the conditions that they sleep in on the streets are really bad. When the weather was really bad I heard that some guy sleeping on the street froze to death.
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POVERTY
Rachel: I think the welfare system needs a major shake-up. It just doesn't seem to work. It's bizarre that people can be better off on benefits than they are doing a job.
Julia: I think more should be done for single-parent families and people on benefits. People need benefits to survive but some can't claim them because they don't fit the right criteria.
Stuart: I think that the State should help people who really do need money. I think they should stop people who have a job from still claiming dole because it's a waste of money.
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THE FUTURE
Rachel: I think that today's generation is inheriting an incredibly difficult society. We haven't been prosperous or powerful for a long time and we have to come to terms with that. But I think that this is an exciting country and that we have a lot of talented people in England. In the future, given the right resources and support, we could become better at sports and arts.
Stuart: I see a country falling apart in the future. A highly polluted country without natural resources and one of the worst economies in the world. if steps are taken now then maybe it can all be averted.
Rachel: In the future I would like to see a minister for children and young people who would deal with our issues. They would have to speak to us and represent us and not just assume that their opinion is right. I don't think many politicians even consider that young people can put together a coherent sentence, let alone actually form an opinion.
Shahi: I think that parties in the future should make kids and education a priority. Politicians should invest more money, time and effort in these things. They should consult children about their opinions and respect their views.
Senab: I think that to make this country better in the future the politicians should care about other people more. They should become selfless and realise that the only way to make this country better is to work at it and not expect it to happen automatically.
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About the team
Stuart, Senab, Shahi, Julia and Rachel are members of the Children's Express London bureau. This article was published in the Big Issue.
