It is with a heavy heart that I take you back to 2014, the year of the Scottish referendum. The tension is building and Nicola Sturgeon in particular is very excited by the fact that 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to take part in the vote. "Our young people have responsibility for Scotland's future,” she says, “so it’s only right that they are able to have a say in the most important vote to be held in Scotland for three centuries". (She thought most of them would vote Yes. They didn’t).

Now, with hearts still a bit heavy, we rejoin the present, one year into the Labour government. The Deputy PM Angela Rayner is very excited by the fact that 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to take part in the next general election. “For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,” she says. “We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future.” (She thinks most of them will vote Labour. They won’t).

In principle, the idea of giving votes to 16 and 17-year-olds is a perfectly good idea, although the exact justification is a little confused. The UK Government points out that 16-year-olds can get a job, pay taxes and join the Army so they should be able to vote. But 16 has never been a consistent doorway to legal adulthood and still isn’t: they’ll be able to vote in general elections but they won’t be able to buy alcohol, or a lottery ticket, or even stand as a candidate in the election.........

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