Referendums

• Referendums


  A form of direct democracy, the purest form of democracy that exists
• Increased use of referendums would improve UK democracy
• Referendums


  • Allow the electorate to have a choice over major decisions that impact them
  • Involve the people
  • Increase political awareness
  • Give legitimacy to key reforms
• Direct democracy


  Citizens have direct involvement in decision making on significant issues
• In a strong democracy


  The electorate have a right to be consulted
• Trust in politicians is low, as they often don't do a spectacular job of representing the electorate
• Around 30% of MPs in the House of Commons have been privately educated, whereas only 7% of the UK population are
• Benefit of a referendum

  It isolates a single issue to allow a popular, majority verdict to be given, especially when an issue cuts across party lines so a real choice can't be given in a general election
• Referendums

  Can be used as a check on elective dictatorships, as general elections only occur once in 5 years
• If more referendums were held, people could have their say more often, keeping the government accountable and making the democracy more pluralist, and therefore stronger
• Referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty and the working of representative democracy in the UK
• Ordinary people lack the expertise to make decisions on complex issues and can be easily misled by campaigns and political leaders
• In 2016, the electoral commission reported that there was a degree of distortion in both the Remain and Leave campaigns
• The negative impact of EU immigration to the UK was overstated by the leave campaign
• Referendums are still regulated well, with the electoral commission even making sure the wording of referendums don't favour one side more than the other
• The 2016 Brexit referendum was changed from Yes/No to Remain/Leave because 'yes/no' questions usually favour the 'yes' side
• The involvement of citizens in a democratic process that is so direct as referendums more often would improve democracy in the UK
• Scottish independence referendum in 2014


  • Gave an opportunity to bring up a wide range of issues related to independence, such as the impact on the economy and the future of Trident
  • Was the first where 16 and 17 year olds were permitted to vote, which was seen as strengthening democracy by extending the right to franchise
  • Had a much higher turnout than others, at 84.6%, which means the outcome of the referendum, to keep Scotland within the UK, was made legitimate by such a large electorate
• If the UK were to increase its use of referendums, then it is likely that the general public would become more politically literate and eventually act as a more effective check on government
• Governments choose when to hold referendums, often for their own political purposes, such as defusing opposition and overcoming their own differences
• Sometimes public pressure can push a politician to hold a referendum in their interest
• Referendums allow the citizens to persuade politicians to hold votes on key issues affecting them
• The narrow majority received for the Leave side in the Brexit referendum (the result was 49% to 51%) legitimized the decision of the UK leaving the EU, and in January 2020, the UK had formally left the EU, finalizing the decision
• Governments in the UK often make empty promises to pander to voters, but if they were forced to carry out their promises and conduct referendums, the pluralism of the UK democracy would be strengthened as people would be able to perform checks on the government more often
• Even the Brexit deal had difficulties in getting through parliament until the win of the conservative party in 2019, which put an end to the second referendum campaign
• The increased use of referendums could enhance UK democracy by directly involving citizens, increasing political awareness, and legitimizing key reforms
• While concerns about challenges to parliamentary sovereignty exist, regulatory mechanisms like those implemented by the electoral commission mitigate these risks
• A more frequent incorporation of referendums into the political landscape could lead to a more robust and inclusive democracy in the UK, empowering citizens to shape the nation's future