Should Britain use Referendums?

Should Britain use Referendums?

1. YES

   • They represent a form of Direct Democracy.This means that the public are making the major decisions that affect the country. It is the purest form of democracy and originated in Ancient Greece.
   • It is also argued that referendums boost political participation and get the public involved in the campaign. During the campaign both sides will attempt to get their view across and this will act as an educational vehicle for the public increasing their awareness
   • Since Labour came to power in 1997, referendums have solved a number of issues, most notably for devolved assemeblies. They also are used to help decide issues such as elected mayors and whether Edinburgh should introduce a congestion charge.
   • Referendums are also useful when political parties agree on an issue but it is at odds with the public. This is an argument put forward by the Referendum party as they wanted to leave the EU but all of the other parties were in favour of staying
   • Referendums useually provide a clear and direct answer. Once a refernedum has been held, it will provide the government with a clear mandate for the future. Supporters of referendums also argue that they stimulate public interest and encourage further political participation.
   • Help to solve political tension that rises between two seperate parties or the differnet factions within one. This was the case in 2011 when Nick Clegg wanted an AV referendum buy Cameron didn't. They left the decision to the public and the AV system wasn't introduced for general elections

2. NO

   • Parliamentary Sovereignty is a major part of the British constitution. Meaning that Parliament is the only body that can make Laws in the UK and making referendums 'unconstituentional' under our system of government. What is the point of electing a government to run the country if major decisions are going to be made by the general public
   • Complexity of the underlying issues with a question. Would people vote on the Euro looking at the economic benefits/disavantages for Britain or wanting to keep our banknotes.
   • The likely turnout for referendums would be low. With 60% turnout at a general election, the turnout for referndums is generally lower. A low turnout would then lower the validity of the result. A close result of a referendum of a referendum could also throw the result into doubt.
     • EG: The 1997 Welsh assembly, 50.3% voted yes with 50.1% yet the government went ahead with introducing an assembly anyway
     • A threshold has to be introduced to legitmise the result of the referendum. This means that the 'yes' vote or the turnout has to reach a certain level for the result to be binding. If neither of these are achieved than the referendum would have been a waste of time and resources
   • The referendum will become a test of the popualrity of the government. If they are doing badly, thereis a danger that the people will vote against the wishes of the government.
   • The government can have a large influence on the outcome of the Referendum. They will decide when the referendum will be held and this could be manipulated to influence the outcome. The wording of the question can also be used to inflluence the outcome.
     • The wording of the question can also be used to influence the outcome. EG: chile where general Pinochet managed to win 75% of the vote by asking "In the face of international aggression unleashed against the government of the fatherland, i support President Pinochet in his defence of the dignity of Chile"
       • Nigel Farage insisted that the decision of the EU referendun should be porttrayed in the question " Do you wish to be a free, independant sovereign democracry.