--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds…" description: "\"By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds the vote, the Conservative Government are risking worsening voter apathy and being on the wrong side of histor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg" --- # By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds the vote, the… ![“By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds the vote, the Conservative Government are risking worsening voter apathy and being on the wrong side of history.” quote by Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg) > “By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds the vote, the Conservative Government are risking worsening voter apathy and being on the wrong side of history.” [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Denial of voting rights to young people may deepen disengagement and misplace history. **In simple terms:** Young people voting prevents apathy. Key Takeaway Support youth suffrage. Themes democracy youth engagement political responsibility Mood concerned hopeful Type political activist When to use this quote - election reforms - civic education - community organizing Key Concepts civic participation generational equity Questions to Reflect On - What are the benefits of early voting? - How can we ensure informed youth participation? A Different Perspective Opponents argue maturity concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) [Conservative Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-government-614881/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Olds Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olds-vote-3169209/) [Refusing 16](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refusing-16-3169210/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Vote Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote-conservative-747646/) [Worsening Voter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worsening-voter-3169211/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) ## Related quotes > [It brings me no pleasure whatsoever to vote against my Conservative government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suella-braverman/it-brings-me-no-pleasure-whatsoever-to-vote-against-my-conservative/) [Suella Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suella-braverman/) > [I think Essex Man will vote for a Conservative Government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-think-essex-man-will-vote-for-a-conservative-government/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [There's an old rule of thumb in politics that 90 percent of all 90 year-olds vote and 25 percent of all 25 year-olds vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-an-old-rule-of-thumb-in-politics-that-90-percent-of-all-90/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Conservative government's neglect of social housing is all too apparent and should be a source of national shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/the-conservative-government-s-neglect-of-social-housing-is-all-too/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [Vote Labor, and you build castles in the air. Vote Conservative, and you can live in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frost/vote-labor-and-you-build-castles-in-the-air-vote-conservative-and-you/) [David Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frost/) > [If the Conservative party hasn't got room for Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond and 19 others, there is also a message there to millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gauke/if-the-conservative-party-hasn-t-got-room-for-ken-clarke-and-philip/) [David Gauke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gauke/) > [I support selecting as many candidates as early as possible for lots of reasons. First of all I think it is important that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/i-support-selecting-as-many-candidates-as-early-as-possible-for-lots/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [I understand why people do vote on the conservative side of the ticket because people have a tendency to go for strong governments when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd/i-understand-why-people-do-vote-on-the-conservative-side-of-the/) [David Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd/) > [No, I wouldn't vote Labour, dear, if you paid me. I vote Conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-brown/no-i-wouldn-t-vote-labour-dear-if-you-paid-me-i-vote-conservative/) [June Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-brown/) > [Conservatives fight every seat in Great Britain because we are a national party and believe in giving every voter the chance to vote Conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/conservatives-fight-every-seat-in-great-britain-because-we-are-a/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [The Conservative Party have got to ask themselves, 'How do we persuade people who at the moment are voting Labour and Liberal Democrat to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/the-conservative-party-have-got-to-ask-themselves-how-do-we-persuade/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [It is the mission of the next Conservative Government to build the Responsible Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/it-is-the-mission-of-the-next-conservative-government-to-build-the/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [A Conservative Government is an organized hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/a-conservative-government-is-an-organized-hypocrisy/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [When New Labour came to power, we got a Right-wing Conservative government. I came to realise that voting Labour wasn't in Scotland's interests any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-reid/when-new-labour-came-to-power-we-got-a-right-wing-conservative/) [Jimmy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-reid/) > [Voting Liberal is a non-thing. Historically, it might be a good idea to have a Conservative government, because change is a good thing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/voting-liberal-is-a-non-thing-historically-it-might-be-a-good-idea-to/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) ## More by Layla Moran > [I became an MP in 2017 and have been around to watch Liberal Democrat party membership soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-became-an-mp-in-2017-and-have-been-around-to-watch-liberal-democrat/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [Sure, sexism is not confined to the Conservatives. Harriet Harman has suggested that Gordon Brown didn't make her deputy prime minister because she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/sure-sexism-is-not-confined-to-the-conservatives-harriet-harman-has/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [As a former teacher, it pains me to watch such an essential and rewarding profession suffer due to government neglect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/as-a-former-teacher-it-pains-me-to-watch-such-an-essential-and/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [From a young age, pupils are put under immense amounts of pressure in high-stakes exams. Often, they're made to feel like their whole future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/from-a-young-age-pupils-are-put-under-immense-amounts-of-pressure-in/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [The word 'Zionist' has become toxic. To some it means believing in Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. To others it represents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/the-word-zionist-has-become-toxic-to-some-it-means-believing-in/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [The war against sexism is portrayed increasingly a battle long ago won. To which my response is, 'if only'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/the-war-against-sexism-is-portrayed-increasingly-a-battle-long-ago/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [My mum is Palestinian and my dad is British but worked all his life from the European Union for their Foreign Action Service. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/my-mum-is-palestinian-and-my-dad-is-british-but-worked-all-his-life/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [Any one of us could fall on hard times. Work and housing have the potential to be unstable, especially for those earning low wages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/any-one-of-us-could-fall-on-hard-times-work-and-housing-have-the/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [We boast of being one of the oldest democracies in existence and it is a point of pride for many of us that British…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/we-boast-of-being-one-of-the-oldest-democracies-in-existence-and-it/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [Liberal Democrats have been leading the fight for a People's Vote and we're getting closer to that with each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/liberal-democrats-have-been-leading-the-fight-for-a-people-s-vote-and/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [Liberal Democrat councillors have a well-deserved reputation for being fantastic community representatives, and these results are testament to the incredibly hard work of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/liberal-democrat-councillors-have-a-well-deserved-reputation-for/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [We need a completely different type of economy - one which is truly green, sustainable, and embeds the biggest issues of the day into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/we-need-a-completely-different-type-of-economy-one-which-is-truly/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [At school I hated swimming and felt bigger and more self-conscious than all the other girls - and I would go to summer sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/at-school-i-hated-swimming-and-felt-bigger-and-more-self-conscious/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [My subjects were maths and physics. I truly appreciate the value in sciences, but understand the difficulty finding and retaining teachers for these subjects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/my-subjects-were-maths-and-physics-i-truly-appreciate-the-value-in/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) > [I will always believe that my vote, and the votes of my Lib Dem colleagues, are the best thing I can do to save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-will-always-believe-that-my-vote-and-the-votes-of-my-lib-dem/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) [Explore all 84 Layla Moran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) ## More Apathy quotes > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Try to greet troubles with apathy. Hello's are never what they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-swellers/try-to-greet-troubles-with-apathy-hello-s-are-never-what-they-used-to/) [The Swellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-swellers/) > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [Insect politics, indifferent universe. Bang your head against the wall, but apathy is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/insect-politics-indifferent-universe-bang-your-head-against-the-wall/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“Just because a person is silent doesn’t mean there’s no message.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/just-because-a-person-is-silent-doesn-t-mean-there-s-no-message/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“If someone with a high level of authority were to ask me, "Suzy, how can we make people so incredibly stupid and apathetic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-someone-with-a-high-level-of-authority-were-to-ask-me-suzy-how-can/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“It takes more than one kick in the pants to reverse a lifetime of unplanned apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-takes-more-than-one-kick-in-the-pants-to-reverse-a-lifetime-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Use the apathy of your logic to solve your problems and then the passion of your soul to enjoy life after that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-michalopoulos/use-the-apathy-of-your-logic-to-solve-your-problems-and-then-the/) [Angelos Michalopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-michalopoulos/) > [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“The young woman had read a good many novels, and she had seen a good many films; this education by newspaper, serial and film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-renard/the-young-woman-had-read-a-good-many-novels-and-she-had-seen-a-good/) [Maurice Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-renard/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) [Browse all 619 Apathy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds the vote, the Conservative Government are risking worsening voter apathy and being on the wrong side of history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Layla Moran" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds-the-vote-the-conservative/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apathy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds-the-vote-the-conservative/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/layla-moran-8126_apathy_by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds_1139410.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By refusing to give 16- and 17-year olds the vote, the Conservative Government are risking worsening voter…” — Layla Moran", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Layla Moran", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "By refusing to give 16- and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds-the-vote-the-conservative/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/by-refusing-to-give-16-and-17-year-olds-the-vote-the-conservative/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```