13 
A government policy unit floated the idea of relaxing the laws on public nudity and lowering the UK age of consent to 14, in plans that were put forward to look at way the impact of the state on our lives could be lessened.
Unsurprisingly, the clearly controversial ideas on ways to extend our personal freedoms were booted out by David Cameron, who is said to have found the idea of lowering the consent age “offensive”. The idea of relaxing laws on people getting naked in public were also kicked out.
We will be staying pleasantly prudish for the foreseeable future. [Telegraph]
Image credit: Downing Street from Shutterstock
Brilliant that this comes out at exactly the same time as the report about Jimmy Saville’s activities. Did it not occur to anyone that there would be conflicting signals from these 2 stories.
Giz needs to add a new tag for their articles: “Saville”
Perhaps Savile would be more accurate. Or, even better, So Vile?
14?! No way, my brother is 14 and irrespective of what he’s seen in school via his mates and such I still try and ask he refrain from such things till least 16. But even though he wont always listen I know that lowering it to 14 will make matters worse.
I’ve heard and read articles of kids as young as 11! Doing things clearly they do not understand. Do not lower the consent age. In the Vatican it is 12! It’s an old rule they have not changed, hopefully not to be considered with the catholic churches current stand on consent.
And I wholeheartedly agree with Someone Else (above).
Isn’t it 14 in Iceland or 15 in Sweden or summat?
I must admit I don’t subscribe to ‘Legal Pedo Monthly’.
Sounds like you’ve done some research though
Isn’t there an EDL rally you’re meant to be attending?
Run along.
Just because I didn’t agree with some of your more socialist / communist / left-leaning posts in the past you’ve decided I must be a racist and should be with the EDL?
I’m going to have to assume that you’re one of these people that decides it’s easier to label someone as a racist rather than put down your Guardian, take off your knitted Peruvian hat, push the bowl of vegan muesli to one side and have a reasoned intelligent conversation with someone who doesn’t actually agree with you on a subject or two.
Or failing that, seem to have no sense of humour.
I’m a complete hoot!
You accuse me of banding about labels and then proceed on your own rant about me being a lefty with the Guardian in one hand and a peruvbian hat in the other?
How very silly.
No, I stated that you appear to have decided I’m a racist simply because I don’t agree with your views.
I retorted to your highly offensive post in a tongue-in-cheek manner rather than make a racially charged comment (as you did) because I have no issue with anyone because of their race, colour or religious beliefs.
I’m glad to see that your humour bypass was a success, I suggest you seek help for the chip you appear to have on your shoulder.
Are you saying I have a chip on my shoulder because….I have brown skin? So I’m what, made out of some sort of oak wood? Or a classy mahogany?
More sick and twisted comments.
From your photo I had no idea (nor care) what the colour of your skin is.
Definition of “A chip on your shoulder”: To seem angry all the time because you think you have been treated unfairly or feel you are not as good as other people.
Nothing to do with race, I just call it as I see it.
The whole wood schtick was meant to be a joke.
Wood schtick! Hahahaha!
Calling somebody racist is not a ‘racially charged comment’. But your stereotypical assumptions about the Guardian and Peruvian hats do make you sound like an EDL supporter
Definition of a racist: “a person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others”.
Calling someone a racist is about the most racially charged comment anyone can make.
I don’t know what the EDL sound like as I don’t support them but I doubt they’ve ever mentioned Peruvian hats.
That’s hilarious. You honestly think that calling somebody racist makes you a racist?
No, I think somebody calling me directly or indirectly a racist is a racially charged comment.
DO try to keep up.
You don’t subscribe? So you’re paying the full cover price every month? Surely a subscription would save you money and there’s usually some sort of free gift too.
You mean I’ve been missing out on free stuff!? :O
Why is it that we can no longer think of the British Isles, without the word “paedoph” in front of them?
speak for yourself
Don’t worry, I got the reference.
I got the reference, just don’t have the word association problem
Hmm, what is this Paedophbritish Isles of which you speak?
It’s friday, time for Cake, or is it thursday, and I’ve dried my brain out…
It’s friday, time for Cake, or is it thursday, and I’ve dried my brain out…
It’s friday, time for Cake, or is it thursday, and I’ve dried my brain out….
It’s thursday, time for Cake, or is it monday, and I’ve dried my brain out…
It’s Cake, time for thursday, or is it monkey, and I’ve dried my brain out…
It’s brain time, I’ve dried out my thursday, or is it monkey?
While I’m not exactly offended by it (ages of consent, after all, are actually a rather new idea and for much of human history “age of consent” was basically “as soon as you’re old enough to have babies”), I don’t think I can support it…
I had my first sexual encounter at the age of 16, and really, in hindsight I feel I wasn’t mentally mature enough. I think from our current cultural perspective 18 is kind of a decent starting point for such things.
I’m guessing this is about sex, it doesn’t mention what you’re consenting to. I first had sex when I was 14, everyone else I knew was shagging at that age too and like 4 or 5 girls were pregnant in our school, one had 3 kids before I dropped out in year 11 lol.
I don’t see lowering the age for teens who are the same age but a 40 year old shouldn’t be able to take advantage of a kid. I mean I think it should be raised to 21 for relationships with big age gaps like a 40 year old.
I’m surprised you actually learnt how to read with your tales about your school.
Learning to read? Pah, you do that in prison!
I grew up on a council estate in South Wales. There were guys in their 30′s shagging girls who were around 16. Nobody cared because people were uneducated and largely ignorant about such things. From friends I’ve spoken to over the years, this has always been the case in various sink estates littered around Blighty. It only becomes a problem when a story gains media attention or some pasty oiks turn up on Jeremy Kyle and the rest of us react accordingly.
Why are the ‘oiks’ in your example pasty? Are you implying it’s a white issue, if so do you remember the none Asian men convicted recently (none of whom were reported to be ‘pasty’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-17996245
(do you see how an innocent remark can be misconstrued)
Pasty because they usually have oily or spotty skin and a complete lack of good skin care.
I do some work with children aged 11-16 and I can tell you that there are plenty of 14 year olds who have sex, this would make no difference at all.
Agreed.
Two thing strike me, the idea that you can stop anyone from having sex is in reality nebulous. I heard a story a about the great lengths a youth group went to stop sex from happening on a residential trip some time ago, before I was born; basically, they put staff outside the dorms to make sure the boys weren’t sneaking into girl’s rooms. A member staff went to investigate some commotion (although what that might have sounded like I have no idea) and walked in on two boys merrily shagging away.
Secondly, defining a person by their age is crude and archaic. This society has a convention of telling young people what they can and cant do based on age and pays no regard their capacity for autonomy, as if the best way to classify people is by their age and age alone.
Some information, in case you were wondering about the ages
Work = 14
Alcohol = 18
Tobacco = 18
Criminal responsibility – 10
Sex = 16
Driving = 17
Watch porn = 18
Under-age sex is illegal, non-consensual sex is rape at any age.
10 years old to be held solely responsible for a crime (as an individual of autonomous agency) but 18 before you have a beer. What a fucking joke.
I think a relative age of consent like they have in some countries makes sense -”Close-in-age exemptions”. For example, at the moment, a 15 and 16 year old having sex is illegal, but a 16 and 50 year old is legal. This seems a bit odd to me, perhaps having it more relative to the age gap up until say the age of 18 would be more sensible.
I just see this as;
“We cannot be arsed arresting and taking as many paedos to court. If we cut the age go consent down, we will also cut our effort and spending!”
If they wanted to cut police workload things like decriminalisation of drugs would be more popular and save more money, with the added bonus that they could tax it like booze & ciggies.
Since when do the Government do anything deemed “Popular”?
Whenever they need to get re-elected, but thats not the point of what I said.
I do agree that the decriminalisation of drugs would be a popular move and save money but they would obviously have to restrict the sale of it with all sorts of limitation. Or maybe advise on it like a GDA of drugs. Like a single shot of heroin could be 66% of your Daily opioid intake.
This just in, the British government are planning to legalise murder. More on that at 10.
haha, this is like the drinking law.. how here actually had their first pint after 18… it will make no real difference other than maybe force parents to educate their kids sooner on the issues of sex.. public nudity should be banned.. cos only fat fugly women ever do it.. and skinny chav blokes..
oh and on the pedo track, its the age of consent.. pedos dont ask, all it does really is change from pedo to rapist or stalker.. the age of consent is 16 right now, yet having images on your computer of under 18`s is paedophilia.. so that wont change..
Does seem like whoever wrote the report needs to be looked at. No adult with an understanding of sexual growth and maturity would advise such things. Sure some 14 year olds will bump uglies but it shouldn’t be put forward as a policy. Given it seems we have 100,000 sexual assaults a year that are not investigated I would think any focus on sexual education of children, and adults it seems, should be about what is appropriate and legal.
I’d much rather see the voting age lowered, seems politicians think you need to be less responsible to consent to sex than to vote for our leaders.
I’d rather institute a logical reasoning and basic knowledge test before allowing anyone to vote. If you can pass, regardless of your age, you can vote.
And if anyone thinks that’s undemocratic, tough s***. You’re too dumb to vote against it anyway
The one thing you learn from looking at the world:
The age of consent is different in every country, and different in every state in America even.
I think it is relative to an area’s culture.
The discussion seems to instantly default to one about pedos, but in actuality there are several problems here:
1. 14 year olds often fall in love with other 14 year olds.
2. in order for it to be medically considered paedophillia, 14 is actually too old.
Protecting kids from 40 year olds is one thing, but I don’t believe that is what this is actually about.
It has also actually been shown that people who have sex earlier tend to live longer lives – so it if there is some kind of age-group law where people from say, 14-19 or something are OK, I don’t really see the problem… provided you parent your kids correctly.
if the liveliness of this post is anything to go by the thought of 14 year olds becoming legal certainly stirs the loins
How about sorting out the stupid situation we have where two 16 years can have sex yet cannot have naked pictures of each other. Totally crazy if you ask me.
Don’t see the big deal personally. It doesn’t make sense for it to be illegal if there are plenty having sex at that age anyway (not that I recommend it. At 14 you should be old enough to consent even if you make mistakes but that’s life. Rape will still be illegal which is all that matters isn’t it. Even if it is shady for most of us for a 14 yo girl to hook up with a much older person, but that shouldn’t be our right to prevent them if its consensual even if we do disagree with it.
I live in London, but I come from Italy.
Back home the age of consent is 14, but it is in London that I see young teenage girls pushing prams…