Referendums

Question 1

what is a referendum?

Answer 1

a referendum is a vote on a single issue in which all registered electors are eligible to take part

they are an example of direct democracy operating within a representative system

but the extent to which the wider use of referendums would improve democracy in the UK is widely debated

Question 2

arguments to suggest that referendums improve democracy in the UK

Answer 2

provide direct democracy

give democratic legitimacy to key decisions

prevent a remote and unaccountable government

Question 3

arguments to suggest that referendums do not improve democracy in the UK

Answer 3

undermine representative democracy

do not always give true legitimacy as they are often the result of ill-informed decisions

at the government’s discretion which restricts their ability to prevent an elective dictatorship

Question 4

conclusion

Answer 4

the strengths of referendums outweigh their limitations

therefore, it seems to be clear that the wider use of referendums would improve democracy in the UK

Question 5

provide direct democracy: how do they provide direct democracy?

Answer 5

they provide direct democracy, which can supplement the shortcomings of representative democracy

they involve the public directly in decision-making on important issues and therefore demonstrate the pure will of the people by isolating and reaching a popular verdict on a single issue

referendums achieve this in ways that elections cannot because many issues, such as Britain’s membership of the EU, cut across party lines with pro and anti-EU politicians in all major parties, whereas a referendum gives the people a chance to express their views directly

Question 6

provide direct democracy: what does allowing the people a direct say ensure?

Answer 6

this ensures that the public’s views and interests are properly and accurately articulated instead of being distorted by politicians with their own interests and agendas

therefore guaranteeing that the country is run in the interests of the people, which improves democracy

Question 7

provide direct democracy: how does allowing people a direct say raise political awareness?

Answer 7

in allowing people a direct say, referendums raise political awareness and widen opportunities for political participation by fostering thorough debates on particular topics

which will inevitably create a more informed, educated and engaged electorate and thus improve democracy

Question 8

provide direct democracy: example of raising political awareness by allowing people a chance to have a direct say

Answer 8

the Scottish Independence referendum in 2014 was praised for giving an opportunity to air a wide range of issues related to independence, including the impact of independence on the economy and the EU, all of which were thoroughly debated

this could combat the participation crisis in the UK because one of the reasons why people do not vote is due to being uninformed and feeling that they cannot cast a vote because of this

so, by potentially combating the participation crisis – one of the biggest weaknesses of the UK’s democracy – the wider use of referendums can be said to improve democracy

Question 9

undermine representative democracy: how do referendums undermine RD?

Answer 9

undermine representative democracy by challenging parliamentary sovereignty

the cornerstone of democracy in the UK is that voters elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf – this is their job and has been the accepted way of doing things for centuries

but referendums, by taking away the decision-making role from the government, undermine parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy as it is the role of representatives in Parliament to make important decisions about how the country is run

Question 10

undermine representative democracy: why should decision making be left with parliament?

Answer 10

arguably, ordinary people do not have the expertise to make complex decisions about issues, such as whether Britain should join the euro

so this should be left to Parliament as politicians are more likely to adopt a rational approach rather than letting emotions cloud judgement

Question 11

undermine representative democracy: example of the public allowing emotions to cloud their judgement rather than voting rationally

Answer 11

in 2016, many people voted to leave due to fears of immigration and the perceived dangers to British values, but also out of dislike for the Cameron government, which seems to demonstrate that the public are not always in the best position to make such complex decisions

Question 12

grant decisions democratic legitimacy: how do referendums provide democratic legitimacy?

Answer 12

referendums provide democratic legitimacy by demonstrating clear public support

they isolate single issues, giving clear outcomes and unambiguous popular verdicts which can help advise politicians on the best course of action for the country and enable them to truly govern in the interests of the people

Question 13

grant decisions democratic legitimacy: why is democratic legitimacy important?

Answer 13

constitutional changes should have the backing of the public as they change the way the country is governed, so consent is vital in order to legitimise a major government initiative

since the Blair government, it has become accepted practice to secure public support via a referendum before making an important and possibly irreversible constitutional change

for example, devolution to Scotland and Wales has been given public approval via the 1997 referendums and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland was also given democratic legitimacy via a referendum

Question 14

grant decisions democratic legitimacy: how does providing decisions with democratic legitimacy help end disputes?

Answer 14

by giving unambiguous popular verdicts and democratic legitimacy to major changes, referendums resolve conflicts and settle arguments

for instance, the referendum in Northern Ireland on the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 helped mend rifts in society by showing clear support for the agreement — 71% voted in support of it and the turnout was also very high, giving the decision legitimacy

the agreement then helped to end decades of violence seen between the unionist and nationalist communities by creating a power-sharing devolved body where both sides are equally represented and there is no single party domination

Question 15

do not always provide democratic legitimacy: why do they not always provide democratic legitimacy?

Answer 15

referendums are often the result of ill-informed decisions and so do not give true democratic legitimacy to decisions

the general public do not have enough knowledge and expertise to make complex decisions

such decisions should be carefully deliberated and debated by political experts rather than left to the general public, who are comparatively uninformed, poorly educated on political matters and lack the experience

Question 16

do not always provide democratic legitimacy: examples of ill-informed decisions

Answer 16

the public also often make decisions based too much on emotion and not enough on facts and logic, which could lead to a poor decision being made

this can arguably be seen to have happened in the Brexit referendum with the consequence of this being that we are now leaving the EU

another instance of an ill-informed decision is the defeat of AV in 2011

a major factor behind this defeat seemed to be the unpopularity of the Liberal Democrats at the time, which demonstrates that the way people vote often has nothing to do with the actual subject, they may vote in a certain way as a protest against the government of the day

Question 17

do not always provide democratic legitimacy: only provide a snapshot of public opinion from one point in time

Answer 17

referendums only provide a snapshot view of public opinion from one point in time as views change over time, particularly when new information comes to light and the consequences of voting a particular way are made clear

which means referendums tend to be an unreliable guide to public interest

this means that governments may carry out a decision from a referendum despite it not having true democratic legitimacy and perhaps not accurately representing the public’s views anymore

Question 18

prevent a remote and unaccountable government

Answer 18

referendums prevent what Lord Hailsham referred to as an “elective dictatorship”

by giving people the opportunity to have their say between elections, referendums allow the public to express opinions directly to the government more frequently, thus preventing the government from becoming remote and unaccountable

they make the government more responsive by forcing them to listen to public opinion between elections

it also prevents them from rushing through change without consulting the people or gaining their support, therefore acting as a check on government power

Question 19

do not prevent a remote and unaccountable government: how might referendums fail to fulfil this role?

Answer 19

referendums are fully at the government’s discretion

governments choose when to hold referendums, which gives them the power to ignore the electorate, and there are no legal requirements to hold them in the first place let alone listen to the outcomes as they are not legally binding

Question 20

do not prevent a remote and unaccountable government: examples of the government ignoring the electorate in between elections

Answer 20

in 2007, Labour denied the public a say on the Lisbon Treaty which gave significant authority to the EU

the opposition at the time were outraged that the electorate had been denied the ability to give their opinion on such an important matter

this just goes to show that referendums do not necessarily prevent an elective dictatorship or an overly remote government as the executive can deny the people a say