Referendums Flashcards
Which referendum did nationalists boycott? What did this mean for the results?
1973 Northern Ireland Referendum
Government did not agree to be bound by results because verdict was unfair
Which referendum was criticised over the wording of the question and the debate was said to favour the government view?
1975 Membership of the EU
Which referendum failed to meet the threshold that was set?
1979 Devolution for Scotland and Wales
Only would accept result if 40%+ voted ‘yes’
Failed to go through because threshold was not met
1997 Devolution for Scotland and Wales
Labour had a manifesto commitment to devolution
2011 Alternative Vote Referendum
Highly unsuccessful referendum
Low turnout
Defeated 67% to 33%
Result of 2016 Remain or Leave EU
Leave 52%
Remain 48%
What type of democracy can referendums be seen as?
direct democracy - public are directly and more frequently involved in decision making
pure democracy - unmediated by representatives
How do referendums help restore faith in British democracy?
at a time when public trust in the political system is lower than ever before referendums offers the potential to reshape the political division of labour between citizens and legislators
How do referendums act as a check on government?
elective dictatorship - dominance of the HoC gives it too much power
referendums allow people to weaken this dominance as it constrains the government of the day
How are referendums an important legitimising mechanism?
- gives a decision “democratic weight” and therefore be more legitimate
- legitimises a significant change as it provides gov of the day with a mandate to undertake change
How are referendums a “weapon of entrenchment”?
makes it difficult to reverse a policy that has evident public support
How do referendums settle an issue? Give examples.
it enables a single issue to be isolated so an explicit verdict can be given
e.g. 1975 EU Referendum - put to bed the issue for a generation
e.g. 1995 Irish divorce referendum - divorce was approve narrowly ceased the issue overnight which would have been unlikely had the decision been made by parliament alone
How are referendums a “protective device”?
safeguards against controversial decisions
How could referendums combat ‘political alienation and malaise’?
- enhances engagement with the democratic and political process
- promotes voter education as citizens are encouraged to learn quite deeply about the concentrated and isolated issue in hand
Why are referendums popular with voters?
because they are seen as a fair and legitimate way of resolving difficult or significant issues especially on big constitutional matters
voters understand that their participation in the electoral process has real policy implications
Give an example of a referendum with a high turnout
2014 Scottish Independence 84%
Give an example of a referendum with a low turnout
1998 London Mayor 45%
What are the reasons for referendums to be called?
- legitimise a government decision
- getting governments out of difficult situations
- a result of a deal between parties
- response to pressure
Give an example of a referendum that legitimised a government decision
1997 Scottish and Welsh devolution
Give an example of a referendum that got a government out of difficult situations
1975 European Referendum
Give an example of a referendum that was the result of a deal between parties
2011 AV Referendums
Give an example of a referendum that was a response to pressure
2016 Brexit Referendum
What do referendums challenge?
parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy that has been the essence of UK politics
How do referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy?
referendums put the people before parliament so the sovereignty of parliament becomes the sovereignty of the people
How does a low turnout in referendums impact results?
could weaken the legitimacy of results e.g. 1998 London Mayor
Why is there a lower turnout for referendums?
- voter fatigue
- little public appetite for referendums to be used
- turnout is falling already when people have to vote generally every 4 or 5 years
What could possibly skew results for referendums?
secondary influences like media or pressure groups
How can referendums be described as a “conservative device”?
they block progress
in the uK referendums were most conceived as a means of placing a delay on certain developments such as BREXIT
How might voters vote tactically in referendums?
With referendums sometimes the status quo can often seem more reassuring and less threatening than change encouraging the public to vote accordingly
Give an example of when referendums have not settled the issue in question
1970s Devolution referendum had not brought an end to Irish, Scottish and Welsh nationalism but rather the issues were revisited in referendums in the 1990s with further referendums planned in Scotland and Wales
How do referendums fail to deal with complex issues?
oversimplifies a complex issue into a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’
elected representatives have the expertise that ordinary citizens don’t have - it is unrealistic to expect ordinary citizens to be interested in or qualified to have informed opinions on important constitutional issues
Give an example of when a referendum was not about the issue in question
1997 Welsh devolution, aeroplane had a banner which said ‘Vote Yes, Vote Blair’ which had nothing to do with the question being posed but instead chimed with the political mood
Why might referendums not always be about the issue in question?
Referendum campaigns become too dominated by peripheral issues
Often expresses a view on political party
What was the first referendum used in the UK?
1973 Northern Irish Border Referendum
