Also interesting is the swing in the youth vote to the liberals.

I guess we have different perspectives Kristian.

Having watched my own kids, & their friends from primary school kids, through uni, & on to high school parents, I must say it is most obvious how easily kids are conned by a smart slogan. They appear incapable of looking to what an organisation really mean, & assume their own idea of what the slogan stands for.

Many of them are later horrified when they find the ideas they were supporting are not what they thought.

It is hard to say which, but either a mortgage, or parenthood that brings some of the necessary wisdom to see through the hype to the reality of life.

Which ever is most important, both combined often lead to a quite hard landing for some of the fairies who venture out of the bottom of the garden. Most of them shed those rose coloured glasses, along with their fairy wings.

Some of course, flutter into academia, where like Hogwarts castle, reality is never allowed to intrude.

Hopefully Kristian, you will enter reality before you are too contaminated by those that are there.

Ointment: meet fly. Every argument has one, and this is it.

"Youth voters are broadly limited as those between the ages of 18 and 25, although should perhaps be extended 16 to 30 years of age with regard to future voting trends."

Wrong.

Youth voters will forever be "broadly limited" to those under 25. As Hasbeen points out so cogently, something happens to people around their mid-twenties, as their righteous enthusiasm for "causes" simmers down into a more sober assessment of cause and effect.

Protesting is the absolute right and prerogative of the young.

In fact, it is almost a duty.

Let's face it, it would be disastrous if they all suddenly became conformists - us oldies would have to rebel instead, and I'm not sure my Zimmer frame could take it.

But the begetting of wisdom is as inexorable as puberty a decade earlier. Slogans and blind idealism are perfect when worn by the young, but look merely ridiculous once youth ceases to be an excuse. It's like trying to dress like your kids.

Embarrassing. And a little sad.

Didn't Stalin call them the Useful Idiots?

I would love to think that our young people are politically astute but I am yet to be convinced. I have found, in talking to young voters, that they have a minimal grasp of the policies of the party for which they vote. This is particularly true of Green policies (chosen as this is the topic of the article). When I ask voters, "Why do you vote Green?" their answer rarely goes beyond, "for the environment" with an occasional, "'cause I won't vote for the big parties." To be fair, I suspect I would get similar answers if querying about any of the parties.

Even scarier is the responses I get from people handing out how to vote cards. They can barely articulate policy beyond the above examples. I challenged a Green representative at the recent state election about a policy concern and he knew nothing about it at all. Again, I dare say most party reps would be in the same (leaky) boat.

It's great to be enthusiastic about democratic rights, to be excited about various causes, but please be informed enough to know the whole package you are voting for.

Kristian, it's interesting that you say the Greens have 'status as a major party'. How do you define 'major party'. I believe it's based on membership base, percentage of vote...maybe even comparison to the other parties that attract more members and votes?

just curious as most would still define the Greens as a minor party?