Discussion
But this also creates a vicious cycle. Where it's difficult for younger people to get the campaigning experience necessary to be viable contenders, even when they have the raw talent to be good MPs. Everything about the way elections work, right down to the hundreds of dollars it costs to get on the ballot as a candidate, makes it harder for younger people to even have a go.
(2/?)
Basically, my idea is an electoral party in which people 40 and over can join as associate members, and serve in administrative and advisory roles, but only people under 40 can be candidates, or full members with voting rights in party decision-making.
The main goal would be to give younger people a way to get practical experience in both electoral campaigning and operating an electoral party (admin, policy-making, etc). If it got to 5% or won an electorate, that would be a bonus.
(4/?)
I also like the way this hypothetical youth party inverts the implicit age hierarchy that exists in any other political organization. Where the older a member is, the more likely they are to be taken seriously, get to serve in important roles, and so on.
If more people understood the arcane systems by which our country is currently governed, maybe we'd get a step closer to making them work democratically? Or figure out how to replace them with systems that are inherently more democratic.
(5/5)
Pondering possible names for a hypothetical youth party, it occurs to me that approaching kaumātua about being gifted a Māori name. If for no other reason that it would annoy aging racists : P
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I have an idea for making electoral politics more accessible and interesting to younger people. I first thought of it a few years ago, and it just won't go away. Which might mean it's a uniquely awful idea, which keeps reoccurring to me for the same reason we can't look away from a train crash. Or, it might actually be a workable idea.
(3/?)