Referendums and how they are used (ES 3.2) Flashcards
What is a referendum?
A vote on a particular issue, requiring a binary choice of yes/no.
In what circumstances are referendums held?
Legitimising a major government initiative
Getting a government out of a difficult situation
A result of a deal between politices parties
In response to pressure to hold a referendum
What type of democracy is a referendum?
Direct democracy, within the representative democratic system of the UK.
What are the key features of a referendum, in terms of who calls them, what they are usually about and whether or not the results are binding?
- Callied by government but other parties and pressure groups can encourage one
- Usually on an issue of constitutional importance
- Results are not binding in the UK
What are some examples of a referendum being held to legitimise a major government initiative?
Has become the accepted practice to secure a demonstration of public support before embarking on important, and possibly irreversible constitutional changes
> 1997 referendums on devolution (Scotland and Wales)
> Northern Ireland, 1998 Good Friday Agreement
What are some examples of a referendum being held as a result of a deal between political parties?
Cameron agreed to hold a vote on changing the electoral system for Wesminster as this was a demand of the LibDems, as part of the coalition agreement in 2010.
What are some examples of a referendum being held in response to pressure to hold a referendum?
Cameron did not want to hold an EU referendum, yet due to fears over Conservative voters turning to UKIP, he promised a referendum if re-elected in 2015.
> Made good on his promise, yet was defeated, bringing about his resignation in 2016.
What are some examples of a referendum being held to get a government out of a difficult situation?
Can happen when a government faces serious internal disagreement
> 1975 EU membership referendum, as Labour as split between pro and anti-European factions
What is the fundamental difference between an election and a referendum?
Elections must be held every five years.
Referendums have no legal or constiutional requirement - it is a political choice, on major issues, on a question proposed by the government (exact wording approved by the neutral EC)
What was the turnout, result and impact of the 1997 Scottish devolution referendum?
60% turnout
74% voted yes; 26% voted no
Established a Scottish Parliament, with tax-varying powers (the second clause recieving a lower % for ‘yes’)
What are the three UK-wide referendums to date?
1975 EU membership referendum
2011 AV Electoral Reform referendum
2016 EU membership referendum
What was the turnout, result and impact of the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum?
50% turnout
50.3% voted yes; 49.7% voted no
Established a Welsh Assembly, furthering devolution.
What was the turnout, result and impact of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum?
84.6% turnout
44.7% voted yes; 55.3% voted no
Important as it had significant turnout (allowed 16-17 year olds to vote); damaged the Scottish nationalist movement (SNP)
What was the turnout, result and impact of the 2016 EU membership referendum?
72.2% turnout
48.1% voted yes; 51.9% voted no
Profound implications on Britain’s relationship with the EU, internal politics; divisive topic.
What was the turnout, result and impact of the 2011 AV electoral reform referendum?
42.2% turnout
32.1% voted yes; 67.9% voted no
2011 gave the government a mandate not to reform the FPTP electoral system
What are the advantages of referendums?
- Pure form of democracy; voice of the people and verdict of the majority
- Can settle conflicts which are proven to be divisive in society and in politics, and within political parties
- Referendums can entrench constitutional reform, preventing them from a future overturning
What are the disadvantages of referendums?
- Tyranny of the majority
- Reduces complex issues to a “binary” yes/no question
- Voters may be easily persuaded by charismatic, populist leaders or misinformation and malinformation
What is the “tyranny of the majority”?
The minority opinion being disregarded; even with a close split (like in the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum, or the 2016 EU membership referendum), the majority opinion will win
> Minority will feel suppressed/oppressed by the majority opinion
How did the 2016 Brexit referendum divide the UK, in terms of class?
AB primarily voted to remain (43% voted leave)
C1 primarily voted to leave, yet this was split (51%)
C2 overwhelmingly voted to leave (middle-ground voters, targeted by the Leave campaign) - 64%
DE overwhelmingly voted to leave (disgruntled people who are poor) - also 64%
How did the 2016 Brexit referendum divide the UK, in terms of age?
Those under 44 primarily voted to Remain, with those between 18-25 largely voting to Remain (73%)
THose above 45 primarily voted to Leave, with those 66+ largely voting to Leave (60%)
How did the 2016 Brexit referendum divide the UK, in terms of nations?
England primarily voted to Leave (53%)
Wales primarily voted to Leave (53%)
Scotland overwhelmingly voted to Remain (62%), and so did Northern Ireland (55%); arguments arose over Scottish and Northern Irish independence once again - shows the issues over the tyranny of the majority (even though Scotland and NI did not want to leave, they were forced to)
How did the 2016 Brexit referendum divide the UK, in terms of the government and politics?
2016 Brexit referendum largely divided political parties and the spectrum
> Conservatives were split between remain and leave (Cameron and the government on one side, leading the ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’ campaign, with Johnson, Gove and Cummings on the other, leading the official Vote Leave campaign, with effective campaigning, i.e. £350m Brexit Bus)
> Labour led a feeble campaign as Corbyn largely wanted to leave the EU, yet his party didn’t
> LibDems were too weak to pose a challenge
> UKIP ran the unofficial Leave.EU campaign, with polarising campaigning (Turkey)
What was the problem with the 2016 Brexit referendum being a binary remain/leave decision?
European Union as an institution i svery complex
> Relationship was not outlined in the question, as well as important and complex issues (like immigration and sovereignty)
Why can one argue that the 2016 Brexit referendum represents the ‘tyranny of the minority’?
Only 37.5% of the country actually voted to Leave the EU
In what ways was the 2014 Scottish independence referendum a more positive experience for British democracy, compared to the 2016 Brexit referendum?
- Result was more decisive (45-55 split)
- Results were more evenly spread across age, class and regions
- 84.6% turnout, compared to 72.2%
- Large youth voting numbers, as 16-17 year olds were allowed to vote in the referendum
In what ways was the 2014 Scottish independence referendum a negative experience for British democracy?
- “No to Independence” ran an ineffective, negative campaign (could have been more decisive)
- Exposed how divided the Scottish people are over the issue of independence
- Did not settle the issue, especially post-2016 (as 62% of Scots were pro-EU in the referendum)
What is the argument for referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of the ‘elective dictatorship’?
The holding of referendums between general elections gives the people an opportunity to have their say more frequently, and prevents the government from becoming remote or unaccountable.
> Prevents a government from rushing through a change without consulting the people.
In what ways was the 2011 AV referendum a positive experience for British democracy?
- Result was decisive and the issue was settled
- Did not divide the country (firm 68% of people voted No)
- Debate was relatively balanced and rational
In what ways was the 2011 AV referendum a negative experience for British democracy?
- System chosen for reform, AV, was complex and hard to understand; also sometimes less proportional than FPTP; people also struggled to understand the consequences of change
- Outcome discriminated against small parties who could not afford to run campaigns
- Referendum was held as a result of a deal between parties rather than the interests of better democracy
What is the argument for referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of enhancing democracy?
Involves the people directly in decision-making on important issues.
What is the argument for referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of raising political awareness?
2014 Scottish independence referendum has been praised for giving an opportunity to air a wide range of issues, including the likely economic impact, future of nuclear deterrent and the relationship with the EU.
What is the argument for referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of regulation?
Electoral Commission has indepedently supervised the conduct of referendums since 2000
> Reduces that chance that a referendum will be skewed due to unfair influence, as expenditure is limited and wording of the referendum is subject to review.
What is an ‘elective dictatorship’?
A government with a strong majority in the House of Commons can effectively dominate the political system, facing little effective opposition or constraints.
What is the argument against referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of confusion within the public?
Popular participation may be low if arguments are not explained clearly
> Factor in the 2011 AV referendum.
What is the argument against referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of parliamentary sovereignty?
Undermines parliamentary sovereignty and the ‘trustee’ MP model
> Ordinary people lack the expertise to make decisions on complex decisions (i.e. Britain joining the Euro)
What is the argument against referendums in a representative democracy, in terms of governmental authority over when a referendum is called?
Governments choose when to call referendums
> Blair and Brown did not hold a referendum on the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, which extended the process of European integration (caused outrage in opposition, who argued voters had been denied a chance to vote on a significant issue)
What are the main arguments for whether referendums haven’t enhanced representative democracy?
Have undermined representative democracy, parliamentary sovereignty and the ‘trustee’ model
Have led to incredibly polarising and divisive campaigns, splitting the country
Turnout can be poor
Misinformation and malinformation can be rampant; ill-informed campaigns distorted by inaccurate claims and media bias
What are the main arguments for whether referendums have enhanced representative democracy?
Have introduced a direct democratic element into UK politics, arguably enhancing democracy
Have checked the power of the government, preventing an ‘elective dictatorship’
Have enhanced political participation and voter turnout, compared to general elections
Have educated people on key issues
Have legitimised important constitutional reform, such as devolution
