Answer (1 of 30): Good question, and one that throws a lot of confusion in the air. The contribute demonstrate in eleven main reasons why the turnout requirement should be abolished: the vote should be free and decisive, meaning that citizens who participate in a referendum . It is entirely at the discretion of the government as to whether or not to hold a referendum. Check out Adapt the A-level & GCSE revision timetable app. Copyright Get Revising 2023 all rights reserved. Now we have Britain's rejection of the EU. Furthering this point, the public may be easily influenced by campaigns of newspapers, notable tabloids, or by wealthy vested interests who can afford to spend large amounts of money on a campaign. First Past the Post does not give equal voting power across the UK. I believe this strategy was the most likely way to keep Britain in the EU. There are a number of potential strengths of holding referendums within the UK political system: It can be argued that referendums provide a check on the power of the government in the UK, something that is often referred to as the elective dictatorship. This makes it difficult to fully understand the clear mandate for a particular policy issue. Investigating any wrongdoing relating to the referendum. Referendums can settle long-standing and controversial issues once and for all. Brexit was . First is their intrinsic worth as an exercise in direct democracy. In conclusion, there are various disadvantages and advantages to discuss when looking at referendums in the UK. The Tyranny of the Majority refers to a situation in which the winning side can claim all of the authority. One argument for independent schools is that they are like Beacon schools, showcasing the very best of education. This infers that they can help to entrench constitutional change in a system which has an uncodified, flexible constitution and enables the public to shape the path in which Britain is heading. Whilst they are an example of direct democracy and put power in the hands of voters, there are a number of arguments to suggest that their operation should be limited and that they do more harm than good to British politics. General Elections under FPTP do not always result in the true will of the public being expressed, whereas referendums clearly put power in the hands of the electorate. . Has sovereignty moved between different branches of government? Referendum A general vote by the population on a single issue. Constitutional changes - it is appropriate that constitutional changes be approved by public referendum, as they affect the way the country is governed, so are more important than ordinary laws. First, many Fintech firms rely on rolling out services and products across Europe. Disadv: Far too . Primary Legislation Legislation passed having gone through the different stages in Parliament. Advantages and disadvantages of the referendum instrument. What are the Mechanisms for Reform and Amendment? However, referendums counteract this problem. For example, in 2011, the AV Referendum largely became a referendum on performance of the Liberal Democrats in coalition, rather than a referendum on changes to the voting system itself. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like How are opinion polls bad for elections and referendums due to their inaccuracy?, Why do opinion polls bring more disadvantages due to their inaccuracy?, Give 2 examples of when opinion polls were spectacularly wrong and more. China: Village Committee Elections: First Steps on a Long March? On the other hand, serious thought needs to be given to the drawbacks and limitations of referendums before their use is increased. In fact, research done by the Guardian Newspaper found a 4% difference in voting intention based on the alternative wording of the questions a very significant swing! Direct Democracy Democracy in which power over decision making is but directly in the hands of citizens. Referendums allow for an individual issue to be addressed not as a broader part of party policies, but on the merits and drawbacks of it. A referendum on 5 May 2011 will ask UK voters whether they would like to replace the country's first past the post system with the alternative vote, or AV, method. The Scottish referendum on independence had a very high turnout and high levels of popular engagement in the debates. There are fundamentally three different types of referendum: An advisory referendum This is a referendum which allows citizens to express their opinion, but it is not binding on the government hence being called advisory. Political division in both the UK and Colombia has been markedly intensified by the 2016 campaigns there.. However, experts in Switzerland (where a number of direct democracy votes take place each year) believe that, although turnout at referendums is around 45%, more than 45% of electors participate in direct democracy, since different voters participate in the different votes that interest them. This suggests that referendums are not always a true representation of what the public wants an outcome to be. We're here 24 hours a day, except from 6am to 4pm on Saturday (UTC+8). The process started on June 23, 2016, after the referendum passed by 51.9% to 48.1%. R. eferendums trivialise highly complex issues by oversimplifying them into a ' yes ' / ' no ' vote. This can be seen in how Boris Johnson tried to approach Brexit upon becoming PM in July 2019 when he was willing (or at least appeared to be willing) to risk a No-Deal Brexit in the name of representing the 52% of the UK who voted to leave. Second, many technology firms rely on inventors from all . Those who see virtue in the idea of a more direct link between the popular will and the levers of power therefore admire them as an instrument of empowerment for the too-often neglected people. (one example of this is the 1975 UK referendum on whether the UK should remain in the EC, an issue over which the ruling Labour government was deeply divided). Infamously, on the morning following the EU Referendum in 2016 the second most googled term in Britain was What was the EU?. . What are the different types of referendums? If concessions need to be made to those who committed crimes during a conflict, or if a course will impose severe economic costs, or if a divisive point principle is at issue, endorsement by direct popular vote will likely aid political stability, and also bind not just the present government, but those that follow it. In reality, this almost always means that the Westminster Government will have to agree to it too. One advantage of using referendums in the UK is that they enable the public that are over 18 to approve or disprove important . The scenario changed since 2013 when the British Prime Minister David Cameron put forward the plan of holding a referendum on continuation of their membership with European Union. As a response to the seeming public mood At times there may be circumstances in which there is a suggestion that the public mood on an issue deserves to be tested. (one example of this is the 1975 UK referendum on whether the UK should remain in the EC, an issue over which the ruling Labour government was deeply divided). (21 Oct 2010), Inappropriate Electoral Systems 3. (20 Dec 2011), Proportional Representation in Hong Kong Government In the 2015 General Election UKIP won 12.6% of the votes, taking many votes away from the Conservatives. Therefore, for an official referendum to be held, the Westminster Parliament have to agree to it. One advantage of using referendums in the UK is that they allow the general public that are over 18 to approve or disprove essential constitutional changes. Secondary Legislation Legislation that is delegated to Ministers or another body. In the case of the EU Referendum, significant amounts of legislation, both primary and secondary, has had to been passed since 2016. An example of a one being used for this function is the 1998 referendum which was utilized to identify whether Blair and the Labour Party should devolve power to Scotland, Wales, and . Now is the time for a peoples vote on the final deal.. By necessity, referendums simplify incredibly complex issues. The EU referendum result led to the resignation of the Prime Minister David Cameron, the election of Theresa May as Conservative leader, and the instillation of, in effect, a new government. 806 8067 22 Reduced government power - provides a check on government power, as the government has less control over the outcome of a referendum than it does over Parliament. 98.9% of voters chose to remain in the UK (the referendum was boycotted by nationalists). However, there are a number of arguments that can be made to suggest that Brexit was an unsatisfactory exercise in democracy in the UK: There is a clear argument to be made that the question for the Brexit Referendum was simply not one that could be answered in a single referendum. 5. The Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014 and the Brexit Referendum of 2016 are examples of this. This makes them especially vulnerable to producing decisions based on false information and/or unrealistic beliefs about what alternatives are possible - often stoked by opportunistic actors within the political system. Advantages of referendums in regard to constitutional changes. In addition the UK federal government secured the permission of the individuals of Northern Ireland for a new devolved assembly in the province in 1998. prevent government from making unpopular decisions. Copyright Get Revising 2023 all rights reserved. The relationship between the executive and Parliament, The Powers of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to Dictate Events and Determine Policy, The Influence of the Supreme Court on the Executive, The Comparative Powers of the Commons and Lords. Unreliable views - referendums provide a gauge of public opinion at a given time, therefore being an unreliable guide to public interest and an inappropriate means of approving constitutional decisions that will have far-reaching, long-term implications. PLEASE NOTE: We are currently in the process of updating this chapter and we appreciate your patience whilst this is being completed. However, there was little discussion on what leaving would mean and how Britain might leave the EU. On the other hand, PPC lets you buy prominent positioning on search pages, like Google, potentially bringing much larger audiences to your website. Some did so, others could not. Advantages and disadvantages of referendums ----- One of the arguments put forward against referendums is that they tend to simplify complicated problems and reduce them to yes or no answers. Subsequent events showed that there was a wide dispersity of views on how Britain should leave the EU and what leaving even meant. Devolved Power A matter devolved for decision-making by a regional assembly. constitutional change) have legitimacy, which is correct for any change that affects the governing of the country, May lead to ill-informed decisions, as the public may not know the specifics and consequences of a policy decision (unlike the government), Parliament is weakened, as sovereignty is undermined, so decisions are not made on the basis of careful discussion, debate and scrutiny, Governments can absolve themselves of responsibility, meaning they make themselves less accountable, Government could be strengthened- they decide the timing of referendums and can dominate the publicity campaign, meaning they could influence the result unfairly, Referendums provide a snapshot of public opinion at one time, so may not be the most reliable method of choosing a policy direction. The Term Brexit was coined for the process of the UK leaving the European Union followed by the different advantages and disadvantages of it to the country. 806 8067 22, Registered office: International House, Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XE, Direct/ representative democracy and Nature of Representative democracy, Evaluate how democratic, in practice, initiatives and referendums are in making public policy decisions in the USA. There are a variety of reasons that a referendum might be held. This took place on both sides of the debate. A core purpose of referendums is to engage those with relatively low information about the issues, which is to say the general population, in the choice. In a referendum the voice of every voter counts equally. However, since the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 the Conservative Party had been deeply divided by the issue of the European Union. Referendums are a direct vote by citizens on a political issue. 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