Neil: Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.
Sam: And I'm Sam.
Neil: Sam, do you remember the first time you voted?
Sam: No I don’t, but I remember being
very keen to do it. It would have been the
first election after my 18th birthday.
Neil: So, over the many, many, many years
since then …
Sam: … eh, not so much with the ‘manys’
if you don’t mind Neil!
Neil: In the very, very few years since then …
Sam: That’s more like it!
Neil: In the years since then, have your political
views changed very much?
Sam: 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.
Neil: 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?
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!
Neil: 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?
Prof. James Tilley: 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 and I think also that they
also tend to perhaps, become less
idealistic.
Neil: So, what reasons does he give?
Sam: 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 makes sense.
Neil: And what are the plausible explanations?
Sam: 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.
Neil: Let’s listen again.
Prof. James Tilley: 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 and I think also that they
also tend to become less idealistic.
Neil: Professor Tilley goes on to explain
more about why being resistant to change
might lead people to support more right-
wing policies.
Prof. James Tilley: 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.
Neil: So what is seen as the appeal of
moving to the right?
Sam: 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.
Neil: 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.
Sam: 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.
Neil: Let’s hear Professor Tilley again.
Prof. James Tilley: 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.
Neil: Right, let’s get the answer to our
question.
What was the first UK general election in
which 18-year-olds could vote?
A: 1929, B: 1950, or C: 1970.
Sam, what did you say?
Sam: I thought it was 1950.
Neil: Well, you’re wrong, I’m afraid. The
correct answer is 1970. 18-year-olds have
been allowed to vote in the UK since 1969
and the first general election after that
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.
Sam: Yes, first we had 'plausible'. An
adjective that means ‘believable or possible’.
Neil: Being 'resistant' to something means
you are against it and don’t want it to happen.
Sam: If you are 'idealistic' you have a clear
and simple moral view of how things
should be.
Neil: This contrasts with one of our other words,
'pragmatism', this noun is the idea of being
realistic and practical about what can be
achieved.
Sam: 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.
Neil: OK, thank you, Sam. That’s all from
us in this programme. Do join us again
and if you can’t wait you can find lots
more from BBC Learning English online,
on social media and on our app. Goodbye!
Sam: Bye!