Referendums

Referendums

1. An occasion where all people eligible to vote are asked their opinion on a specific question

   • The question will always have a'yes/no' answer and in some cases, it is demanded by the people
     • Used by dictators in the past to legitimise their actions and become associated with undemocratic countries. However it is used is democratic countries around the world, mainly in Switzland.

2. REFERENDUMS IN THE UK

   • SCOTTISH ASSEMBLY QUESTION IN 1979 : Lab and SNP both wanted the devolution. However, there was a low turn out of 63.8% and a low yes vote meaning the Scottish assembly was never set up
     • WELSH ASSEMBLY QUESTION IN 1997: The answers we very close with 50.3% and 50.1%. The welsh assembly was set up by the government
   • THE SCOTTSIH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM 2014: in the beginning the 'Better together ' campaign was in the lead but come September the yes campaign came through.
     • Many undecided voters made up their minds and decided to vote 'yes'.
       • The two 'yes' leaders, Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon were seen as more effective than Alistair Darling, the leader of the 'No' campaign. This was highlighted in 2 TV debates in August
     • English politicians are not favoured in Scotland and their work was counter productive.
     • However in the final stages of the campaign , the 'no' campaign began to extend their lead.
       • The intervention of Gordon Brown showed that it was more of an emotional issue than a rational one. He campaigned with great passion
       • Undecided voters opted for the 'No' option at the last minute because they feared the consequences of independence.
       • Banks like RBS threatened to move their HQ out of Scotland. Companies like BP and Standard life also made the same threat and supermarkets said that prices would go up.
       • NO
     • YES
   • Scotland voted to stay part of the UK. The Referendum was seen as a successful exercise in democracy.
     • The turnout as a whole was 84.6% and a whole and over 90% in some areas. Suggesting that the Scottish people wanted some kind of change, whether it was full independence or more devolved powers. The turnout reflected the passion within the campaign
       • For the first time EVER, people aged 16-17 were allowed to vote, this was because it had long time consequences. This shows that the campaign engaged the audience in a differenet way as conventional party politics often alienate younger voters
         • Apart from a few incidents, the campaign was conducted in a highly civilised way. It was stressed that it was aonce in a lifetime opportunity to shape Scotlands future/

3. THE EU REFERENDUM 2016

   • The issue of the Uk's membership of the EU had been a long divided issue, especially for the conservative party
     • It was the rise of UKIP and continuing tension between Right Wing Conservatives.
       • The result was a 51.8% to leave in a 72.2% turnout . With very close results and a lower turnout, it can be argued that it doesn't strengthen democracy
   • AGE: Voters under the age of 44, as a whole wanted to remain in the EU. The leave campaign won because it secured a majority amongst older voters (with higher turnout figures) Unlike in the scottish referendum, 16-17 year olds were not given the opportunity to vote
   • Region: There were significant regional differences with scotland and N. Ireland both voting to remain with 62% and 55.8%. The reason the Scottish voted against independence was because they thought that independence meant they would leave the Eu. The border between Northern Ireland and the republic would become a land border and cause long term seperation of the UK.