Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I’m Neil. |
And I’m Sam. |
Sam, do you remember the first time you voted? |
No I don’t, but I remember being very keen to do it. |
It would have been the first election after my 18th birthday. |
So, over the many, many, many years since then … |
… eh, not so much with the ‘manys’ if you don’t mind Neil! |
OK. In the very, very few years since then … |
That’s more like it! |
In the years since then, have your political views changed very much? |
I think my political views are a lot better informed now. |
I think the decisions I make are based on a better understanding of the political situation – but I still generally agree with the same things I did when I was younger, I think. |
There is a belief that as we get older we become more right-wing in our political views and opinions. |
Is this true and if so, why? |
We’ll be finding out a little bit more about this, but first a question. |
What was the first UK general election in which 18-year-olds could vote? |
Was it... A: 1929, B: 1950, or C: 1970? |
So, what do you reckon then Sam? |
Well, they were all before my time. |
I’m going to say 1950 – that sounds about right |
– it was the decade in which teenagers were invented, after all! |
OK. Well, I will reveal the answer later in the programme. |
James Tilley is a professor of politics at the University of Oxford. |
He appeared recently on BBC Radio 4’s programme Analysis and was asked why, if it is true, do we become more right-wing as we get older. |
What does he think? |
The question that age affects our political views is a tricky one. |
I think probably the most plausible explanation is that people just generally become a bit more resistant to change as they get older. |
I think also that they also tend to perhaps, become less idealistic. |
So, what reasons does he give? |
Well, he talks about what he thinks are the most plausible explanations. |
Plausible is an adjective which means something is believable; it’s reasonable and it makes sense. |
And what are the plausible explanations? |
Well, he says that generally, as we get older, we like to have more stability in our lives, we don’t like change, in fact we are resistant to change. |
That means we are against change. |
When we are younger we might like the idea of revolution, we might be very idealistic. |
This means, for example, we might think that we can and should change the world to make things better. |
This would cause big changes in the world which when we are older and more settled in our lives, do not seem like such a good idea. |
Let’s listen again. |
The question that age affects our political views is a tricky one. |
I think probably the most plausible explanation is that people just generally become a bit more resistant to change as they get older. |
I think also that they also tend to perhaps, become less idealistic. |
Professor Tilley goes on to explain more about why being resistant to change might lead people to support more right-wing policies. |
So, if parties on the right represent a platform which is perhaps more favourable to the status quo, |
it’s perhaps more about pragmatism than it is about idealism, |
then that might be more attractive to older people than younger people. |
So, what is seen as the appeal of moving to the right? |
Political parties have a particular set of policies. |
This is sometimes known as their platform. |
Professor Tilley says that if their platforms support the status quo, they might be more attractive to older people. |
The status quo is a Latin phrase we use in English to refer to the situation as it is now – that is, one that is not going to change. |
Traditionally it’s parties of the centre right that seem to be more supportive of the status quo. |
So, as we get older he says our political views are less about idealism and more about pragmatism. |
Pragmatism is being practical and realistic about what can be achieved and how it can be achieved. |
But of course this doesn’t apply to everyone, |
and just because people seem to move more to the right as they get older doesn’t mean that they completely change their politics. |
Let’s hear Professor Tilley again. |
So, if parties on the right represent a platform which is perhaps more favourable to the status quo, |
it’s perhaps more about pragmatism than it is about idealism, |
then that might be more attractive to older people than younger people. |
Right, let’s get the answer to our question. |
What was the first UK general election in which 18-year-olds could vote? |
Was it... A: 1929, B: 1950, or C: 1970? |
Sam, what did you say? |
I thought it was 1950. |
Well, you’re wrong I’m afraid. The correct answer is1970. |
18-year-olds have been allowed to vote in the UK since 1969 and the first general election after then was in 1970. |
So, a bit later than you thought, Sam, but congratulations to anyone who did get that right. |
OK, let’s remind ourselves of our vocabulary. |
Yes, first we had plausible. |
An adjective that means ‘believable and possible’. |
Being resistant to something means you are against it and don’t want it to happen. |
If you are idealistic you have a clear and simple moral view of how things should be. |
This contrasts with one of our other words, pragmatism, this noun is the idea of being realistic and practical about what can be achieved. |
A platform can describe the policies and ideas of a political party or politician. |
And the status quo is the unchanging situation as it is now. |
OK, thank you Sam. |
That’s all from us in this programme. Do join us again. |
Goodbye! |
Bye! |