referendums & how they are used

holding referendums

Referendums are often called when an important national decision or constitutional change is considered and the government feels it needs the support of the public

reasons for a referendum

• A referendum may be held in response to pressure over a particular issue

  • EX: The EU referendum in 2016 was promised by David Cameron if the Conservatives were re-elected in 2015

    • Cameron made this promise because of political pressure favouring a referendum, and the fear of losing votes to UKIP in the GE

• A referendum can be called to ensure significant government initiatives have public approval

  • EX: The 1997 devolution referendums in Scotland and Wales legitimised devolving some powers to both countries

• A referendum can also result from a deal made between political parties

  • EX: The 2011 AV electoral system referendum was agreed as part of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government agreement in 2010

uk referendums overview

• Referendums have been used in the UK to make decisions on a range of political issues including:

  • Devolution - referendums have been held in favour of devolving power from Westminster Parliament to different areas of the UK

  • Election system - in 2011,  the UK voted against changing from FPTP to AV for GEs by 69.7% to 32.1%

  • Independence - in 2014, Scotland voted against becoming an independent country, and in 2016 the UK voted in favour of leaving the EU by 51.9% to 48.1%

uk referendum case study - devolution

• 1997 - referendum votes supported devolving power to Scotland and Wales

• 1998 - referendum votes in favour of devolving power to Northern Ireland and establishing a London Mayor Assembly

• 2004 - regions in England voted on regional assemblies - the North East of England rejected an assembly, 78% voting against the proposal

case FOR referendums - education & engagement

• Referendums increase the political awareness and education of voters over key issues as a wide range of issues around the referendum are often debated

  • Some UK referendums have increased political engagement with high turnouts, such as 81% in the 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum and 84.6% in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum

case FOR referendums - clear outcome

• Referendums which have a clear outcome resolve political arguments

  • In 1997 Scottish Parliament referendum over 74% of people voted in favour of a Scottish Parliament which addressed the issue of whether Scotland should have its own parliament

case FOR referendums - direct voter power

• Referendums give citizens the chance to make decisions directly, which is important in a democracy - a referendum gives the electorate a chance to voice their view on a single issue

• Referendums hold the government to account in between elections which only gives voters the power to influence decisions every 5 years

case AGAINST referendums - parliamentary sovereignty

• Referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty as decisions are made directly by the public rather than representative MPs who have been elected to make decisions for voters

  • Elected politicians should be making decisions on complex political issues rather than the general public who do not have the knowledge and expertise to decide themselves

  • The EU referendum was on a complex issue that some people believe the public was not informed enough to make a rational decision on when voting

case AGAINST referendums - can be manipulated

• The way in which questions are phrased and the timing of them can manipulate results

  • The wording of the 2016 EU referendum was changed from “yes/no” to “remain/leave”

• The electorate can be influenced, particularly by influential political figures, campaigns or the media

• People may vote with their emotions rather than considering all of the options available

case AGAINST referendums - other cases against

• There is often low participation and low voter turnout in UK referendums which limits how legitimate the referendum decision is

• Governments make the decision to call a referendum and hold them for their own political purposes

• Referendum decisions can be influenced by factors other than the issue itself