3.2 referendums and how they are used

Question 1

what are referendums?

Answer 1

• they are a form of direct democracy
• they can be national, regional or local and pose a single question where the answer is yes or no
• in the UK they are a way of ‘enhancing’ representative democracy

Question 2

name some key referendums

Answer 2

• in 1975 there was a national referendum on whether or not the Uk should remain part of the European Economic Community which the country had joined 2 years earlier
• post 1997 they have been used to establish constitutional reforms
• 2011 national referendum on whether or not to change the UK’s general election voting system to AV
• 2014 whether or not Scotland should become an independent state
• 2016 should the UK leave the EU

Question 3

what is the process of holding a referendum?

Answer 3

1. the governing party adopts a policy that a referendum should be held on an issue
2. the precise wording to eh referendum question is established
3. legislation is passed in parliament, setting up the arrangements for a referendum including the date it is to be held
4. the referendum is held and the result announced
5. referendums are never legally binding, but it is virtually unthinkable that a representative body should not obey the outcome. If the result requires a change, legal and political arrangements are made

Question 4

what are the rules for referendums?

Answer 4

• there is an official recognition of each campaign on either side of a question
• there are rules governing campaign expenditure in the campaign to ensure that both sides spends approximately equal funds
• the electoral commission also ensures that both sides in the campaign do not issue false information and organises the counting of votes

Question 5

what are the reasons for holding a referendum and an example for each reason?

Answer 5

To entrench a constitutional reform
-extension of devolution to Wales 2011
To test public opinion
-North East assembly 2004
To resolve conflict between parties sharing power
-The AV referendum 2011
To resolve conflict within the wider community
-The good Friday agreement 1998
To achieve a political goal
-2016 Eu referendum

Question 6

what was the turnout of the 1998 Belfast agreement and 2014 Scottish independence referendum compared to the 2011 AV referendum?

Answer 6

-1998 Belfast agreement= a turnout of 81.0%
-2014 Scottish independence referendum= 84.6% turnout
-2011 AV referendum= a turnout of 42.2%

Question 7

can you outline 2 reasons why the UK voted against AV?

Answer 7

• not publicised enough
  -confusing

Question 8

features of a referendum?

Answer 8

• usually single issue
• people vote to decide an issue
• Ad hoc, if and when a parliament chooses
• usually binary choice
• not legally binary

Question 9

should referendums be used to settle the political issues? Arguments in favour

Answer 9

• referendums are the purest form of democracy, uncorrupted by the filter of representative democracy. They demonstrate the pure will of the people
• referendums can mend rifts in society, as occurred with the decisive result of the 1998 vote on the Belfast agreement
• referendums can solve conflicts within the political system and so save off a crises, especially the case with the 2016 EU referendum
• referendums are particularly useful when the expressed consent of the people is important, so that the decision will be respected

Question 10

should referendums be used to settle the political issues? Arguments against

Answer 10

• the people may not be able to understand the complexities of an issue such as the consequences of leaving the EU or adopting a new electoral system
• referendums can also cause social rifts. This arguably occurred in both 2014 in Scotland and 2016 in the EU referendum
• there is a danger that an excessive use of referendums may undermine the authority of representative democracy. This has been a particular danger in some states In the USA
• a referendum can represent the ‘tyranny of the majority’. This means that the majority that wins the vote can use their victory to force the minority to accept a change that is against their interests
• voters may be swayed by emotional rather than rational appeals, it may also be that they are influenced by false information
• some questions should not be reduced to a simple yes/no answer; they are more complicated. The 2011 question on electoral reform is an example of this, perhaps several different options should have been considered, not just one

Question 11

‘a party should only call a referendum if they are confident of the answer’ why?

Answer 11

• governments use referndums as a way of securing direct consent for major policies they want to include. e.g the devolution to S,W, and NI was a policy of the labour party but it needed to be reinforced by confirmation in a referendum
• if a government supports one side of a referndum debate, it will be placed in a difficult position if it loses; it is a severe blow to its authority. This occured in 2016 when the UK voted to leave the EU. David Cameron felt his position was untenable and so resigned. The wider result was a complete change in the governments stance on europe and many ministers lost their position or resigned

Question 12

what was the impact of the 2014 scottish independence referendum?

Answer 12

• the 2014 vote on scottish independence was what the gov hoped for but it did have a major impact on the politics of devolution. The closeness of the outcome was a huge boost to the SNP. Before that, during the campaign, all 3 main English parties were forced to promise Scotland greaters powers for its Parliament and gov. the scottish referendum did not result in independence but it did result in a major shift in power towards Edinburgh. Then, 2 years later, when the UK voted to leave the EU, a fresh scottish crises ensued. The problem was that 62% f the Scottish voters voted to stay in the EU. This meant that the scots were being dragged out of the EU against their will. The result is renewed calls for a second scottish independence referendum

Question 13

referendums in comparison to representative decisions?

Answer 13

• representatives are more likely to adopt a rational approach and resist emotional relations to questions. E.G many voters were concerned about immigration in the EU referendum and were responding to patriotism but representatives were able to think about both sides of the argument
• politicians have an army of well informed advisers to help them whereas most people rely on the media for their information
• elected representatives have to consider a wide range of views and interests not only their own but voters only have to think of their interests.in the scottish referendum, the people did not need to consider the implications for the UK as a whole.
• they have better judgement as they are in a position to make a reasoned judgement that ordinary people with less knowledge and judgement. judgement and good sense are qualities we consider when we elect them