what is the definition of a referendum?
a vote on a single issue put before the electorate by the government, usually in the form of a question requiring a yes/no response
give two examples of referendums that have happened in the UK
-vote to stay in the EU (1975) - 67% voted remain
-Brexit (2016)
what are reasons for holding a referendum?
-to legitimise or entrench a major constitutional change
-to ensure public consultation (direct democracy)
-to put proposals to the electorate/ avoid making choices on difficult policies
what was the outcome of the Brexit referendum?
-turnout = 72.2%
-48.1% voted remain
-51.9% voted leave
why do turnout levels undermine the results of many referendums?
turnout is often very low AV referendum 2011 = 42% resulting in a very questionable mandate
why are yes/no referendums often more complicated than they seem?
they oversimplify political issues and overlook grey areas
how can government influence the outcome of referendums?
they choose the timing and how the question is worded
why can referendums be argued to provide a stronger mandate for important reforms than elections?
they are a form of direct democracy and the public has direct say on one specific issue
example of how a referendum helped an issue - good friday agreement
71% of people voted in favour of the peace agreement between british and irish gov. that estasblished a N.I assembly, strong public backing helped to solve the issue
what impact can referendums have on political participation?
they increase it between election and can engage and educate the public on important issues
how many nationwide referendums have there been in the UK?
-3
-Brexit, EEC membership and AV voting system
positive impacts of referendums:
- they enhance direct democracy - telling politicians what the electorate thinks more accurately than any opinion poll
- high turnout in some referendums e.g. brexit one is evidence of improved political participation
- they give legitimacy to important political decisions
- the electorate has surprised the gov. on many occasions, causing shifts in policy that otherwise might not have happened
- for coalition and minority governments, referendums provide a strong popular mandate on controversial topics e.g. 2011 AV
negative impacts of referendums:
- governments still hold the power, not the people because they usually won’t hold a referendum if they think they might lose
- low turnout in some referendums e.g. AV (42%) referendum suggests that the public are not always engaged
- they can threaten parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy as it nows seems that big changes in policy require public majority agreement
- poor quality campaigns can confuse/mislead the public - e.g. brexit campaign may have hidden key negatives about brexit
- they offer no protection against tyranny of the majority
- in national elections, there can be differentiations in results e.g. Scotland and N.I voted remain in Brexit referendum
- they do not provide a resolution to highly divisive issues e.g. scottish independence referendum - the day after SNP were calling for a second referendum
- they undermine parliamentary sovereignty and undermine representative democracy e.g. brexit referendum - majority of MPs were remain
criticisms of referendums from politicians:
-‘a device so alien to all our traditions’ (Attlee)
-‘a device of dictators and demagogues’ (Thatcher)
what sort of referendums can be held in UK?
-national
-sub-national e.g. scottish independence 2014
-local e.g. whether a local council should raise council tax
