Referendums & how they are used - (3.2) Electoral Systems - UK Politics Flashcards
Legal force of a referendum
Referendums don’t have legal force however, it is unlikely government would ignore the will of the people
First national referendum UK
June 1975 -Labour Harold Wilson gave electorate vote on whether they wanted to remain in the European Economic Community. Called in order to check electorate agreed with Heath’s policy of joining the EC - Heath arguably should have called a referendum at the time (1963) given the enormous and far-reaching nature of the decision
6 examples of referendums (post 1997)
Sept 1997 - Establishment of Scottish parliament (Scottish referendum) & Establishment of Welsh Assembly (Welsh referendum)
May 1998 - Approval of the good Friday agreement (Northern Ireland referendum)
May 2011 - Change to EV for electoral system Westminster (UK referendum)
Sept 2014 - Scottish independence (Scottish referendum)
June 2016 - Brexit (UK referendum)
Electoral Commission role in referendums
Responsible for checking wording of question.
Monitors expenditure by rival campaigning groups
Designates an approved campaign for each side
Brexit example (Electoral Commission role)
Changed question to make it more neutral.
Designated ‘vote leave’ and ‘Britain stronger in Europe’ as rival lead campaigns - entitled them to pre-determined public funding
In what circumstances is a referendum held?
Legitimising a major government initiative
Getting a government out of a difficult situation
A result of a deal between political parties
In response to pressure to hold a referendum
Example of referendum being held to legitimise a major government initiative
1997 referendums on devolved government
Example of referendum being held to get a government out of a difficult situation
1975 Harold Wilson’s government split between Pro & anti Europe factions.
Example of referendum being held as a result of a deal between 2 political parties
May 2010 vote on changing Westminster electoral system to AV - agreement between coalition government (Clegg & Cameron)
Example of referendum being held in response to pressure for one to be held
2016 Brexit referendum - growing support to UKIP led to Conservatives (Cameron) holding the referendum in order to not lose voters to UKIP
Arguments in favour of referendums (x5) (brief summary)
Involves the people Offer a check on the 'elective dictatorship' (Lord Hailsham) Settle arguments & entrench reforms Raise voters political awareness Little chance of skewed result
How referendums involve the people (argument in favour)
Trust in politicians is low
Manifestos & elections summarise lots of policies referendums allow a single issue to be addressed
Some topics e.g. EU views cross party lines
How referendums offer a check on the elective dictatorship (arguments in favour)
Usually electorate only has power over the House of Commons every 5 years - referendums enable people to have a say more frequently
Prevents government rushing through a change without consulting electorate
How do referendums settle arguments & entrench reforms (arguments in favour)
To make reverse a change (possible) would entail a major public debate
How referendums raise voter’s political awareness (arguments in favour)
Voters are likely to research or learn about the topic
How referendums have little chance of skewed result (arguments in favour)
Due to referendums being subject to independent supervision by the Electoral Commission since 2000 - limits expenditure of the competing sides & unfair wording of the question
Arguments against referendums
Challenge Parliamentary sovereignty
Badly explained arguments may lead to low participation
Government’s can choose when to call one
Low turnout is common
Outcome can be due to factors other than the argument
How do referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty (arguments against)
Ordinary people lack the expertise to make these decisions. Parliament is meant to be sovereign in the UK
How do badly explained arguments lead to low participation in referendums (arguments against)
E.g. in 2011 electoral system reform referendum. There was distortion and confusion.
Example of government choosing to not hold a referendum (arguments against)
Blair & Brown denied electorate a say on the Lisbon Treaty in 2007 on the grounds previous governments hadn’t held referendums on treaties
Example of low turnout at referendums (arguments against)
1997 Welsh Assembly referendum turnout was barely over 50%
However, 2014 Scottish independence referendum was very high (84.6%)
How can the outcome of referendums be influenced by factors unrelated to the topic (arguments against) & example
They can be a way of registering a protest against the government of the day e.g. 2011 AV proposal referendum was affected by the unpopularity of Lib Dems
Referendums enhancing democracy
Allows electorate to express an answer to a really significant or divisive question
Under coalition government (e.g. 2011 AV Referendum) government has no direct mandate (Coalition agreement agreed after the election so electorate didn’t vote on a manifesto)
Professor Tierney from Edinburgh University argued referendums are ‘pure democracy’ and a ‘symbolic reminder that democratic authority finds its legitimacy in the consent of the peole’
Good in FPTP system as can enable large parties to dominate politics. Referendums allow under-represented voices to have more of a say.
Referendums lead to the stability generated by FPTP with the nuanced representation through referendums
Can prevent excessive use of power by majority government reducing chance of elective dictatorship (politicians unlikely to go against the view of the people
Referendums not enhancing democracy
Turnout usually low
PMs choose when to call them
Can be tactical (e.g. David Cameron and EU to win UKIP voters & 1979 devolution to prevent backbench rebellions)
