Referendums

Question 1

What are referendums?

Answer 1

A vote conducted at a local, regional or national level in response to a question which has a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer

Question 2

Why are referendums used? (6)

Answer 2

• Key question solved by direct rather than representative democracy
• The people themselves solving an issue rather than representatives of the people
• The issue may be so crucial that only a popular vote can resolve it
• To solve an issue that is division for elected parliaments - political conflict mediated through a people’s vote - was the case for both 1975 and 2016
• Solving a conflict within the wider community, e.g., good Friday agreement 1998
• Liberal doctrine of ‘government by consent’ - the people give the government their power, and therefore should decide a fundamental change to their future

Question 3

How does holding a referendum work?

Answer 3

1 - the governing party adopts a policy that one should be held on
2 - the precise wording is established
3 - legislation is passed in parliament, setting up the arrangements for one including the date
4 - one is held
5 - they are never legally binding - until the result becomes law, it is virtually unthinkable that a representative body should not obey the outcomes

Question 4

In the campaign, there is an official recognition of…

Answer 4

the bodies that campaign on both sides of the question.

Question 5

What does the electoral commission regulate, in relation to campaign bodies?

Answer 5

Their expenditure, as well as making sure they don’t falsify information.

Question 6

What is an initiative?

Answer 6

• Occurs when the people themselves decide that a referendum should be held
• Doesn’t happen in the UK although people could protest for the government to call a referendum
• Initiatives are prevalent in some US states

Question 7

What are some arguments for referendums?

Answer 7

• Helps make difficult decisions
• Helps parliament exit a stalemate
• Simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer
• Introduces elements of direct democracy
• Voting system is simple
• Involves the public in the political system and process
• Public can focus on one issue rather than a host of issues
• Public have a say between elections - holding government to account - Lord Hailsham calls it keeping in check the ‘elective dictatorship’
• Raise voter awareness

Question 8

What are some arguments against referendums?

Answer 8

• Extremely divisive
• A challenge to parliamentary sovereignty
• Low participation if arguments are not explained clearly to the public
• There can be further conflict about the issue following the referendum, most notably on the EU and Scotland
• Governments can choose whether they want to hold a referendum – e.g., Blair and Brown denying the electorate a say on the Treaty of Lisbon of 2007, which extended the process of European Integration
• The government can technically ignore it - isn’t legally enforceable
• People being uninformed
• Party bias can impact referendum results