Investigating any wrongdoing relating to the referendum. Referendums are a direct vote by citizens on a political issue. They are also good for dealing with areas wher. However, a clause in the bill said that 40% of the whole electorate had to vote yes and only 32.8% did so, Whether Britain should remain or leave the EEC, 67.2% of voters chose to remain in the EEC, Whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the UK or should be part of the Republic of Ireland. Advantages and disadvantages of the referendum instrument. The question is usually designed to receive a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Referendums can settle long-standing and controversial issues once and for all. To install StudyMoose App tap This has happened a number of times, for example the Welsh Legislative Powers Referendum in 2011. Birmingham B15 2TT It was right to try to get a better deal for us in Europe. Dr Quinn is host of POLSIS Dr Quinn is host of POLSIS Political Worldview podcast the latest edition of which discusses referendums and their perils. Today's most discussed topic all over the world is the fact that UK will possibly leave the EU. Strengthens government - governments decide when and on what issues referendums are called, they frame the question and they dominate the publicity campaign. Physics P1 4.4 Energy and the environment. The Tyranny of the Majority refers to a situation in which the winning side can claim all of the authority. The first UK-wide referendum was held in __1975 __on the United Kingdoms continued membership of the European Community (European Union). Most marketers will recommend SEO, based on the . The result of this referendum was 80.7% in favour of independence. It is important to note that David Cameron would say that he held the EU Referendum in order to settle a long-standing constitutional issue. Although it was thought that this would stem the rising tide of nationalism, in fact, it strengthened the support and influence of the Scottish National Party, whose __2011 __election win paved the way for the __2014 __independence referendum. One argument for independent schools is that they are like Beacon schools, showcasing the very best of education. They are particularly good with Social Law reform, Ireland has used them to good effect here. This dramatic policy would not have had legitimacy if it was only agreed by politicians and not by citizens in Northern Ireland. "No" voters in 2014 who feared that Scotland might find itself outside the EU - even temporarily - might view the economic risks and opportunities . In the UK holding a referendum has to be legislated for by the Westminster Parliament. (2016, May 11). The overuse of referendums can undermine the fabric of representative democracy. The Australian government is presently considering a plebiscite on the issue of marriage equality even though a clear majority in favour exists in parliament; many are strongly opposed on the grounds that such a campaign would be socially divisive, and might even provide a platform that legitimises hate speech. What are the Mechanisms for Reform and Amendment? A referendum provides the opportunity to vote on a single-issue. Check out Adapt the A-level & GCSE revision timetable app. Constitutional issues are a reserved, not devolved, power. In his autobiography Nick Clegg says: First Past the Post is enshrined in the DNA of the Conservative Party not least because it has consistently delivered Conservative majority governments, even as their share of the popular vote has steadily declined. A referendum is a popular vote on a single issue. 1. Disadvantages. (26 Jun 2012), Experiences of PR open list system? The first UK-wide referendum was held in __1975 __on the United Kingdom's continued membership of the European Community (European Union). Advantages. In total 406 constituencies voted Leave in the Brexit Referendum but only around 160 MPs had voted to leave. A successful referendum is incumbent on the ability to deliver on either of its potential outcomes and the EU Referendum in 2016 did not fulfil this criterion. If Brexit goes ahead, grievances in communities will worsen, so I say to Labour colleagues: we did not get elected to make our constituents poorer and you know thats what Brexit will do. Answer (1 of 4): The advantage of a referendum is that it is giving direct democratic control to the people. The referendum device is one of the institutions of direct democracy that claim to measure and express the will of the people better than the institutions of representative democracy. In the 2015 General Election UKIP had won 3.8 million votes (12.6%) but had only secured one seat in Parliament. Currently, Scotland is in political union with three other countries, (formerly a country, a principality, and a province). 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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. In 2007 the SNP won the Scottish Election and did so again in 2011. There is a consistent danger that referendums, because of their binary nature, become dominated by wider political issues and not just the issue on the ballot paper. Holding referendums on key constitutional issues is a way to ensure an overpowering government cannot enforce its political will on the population. Good Friday Agreement 1998 received clear support from most of the community (70% Yes) and this allowed peace to maintain with only minor difficulties. Famously, the MP for the leave voting Sedgefield, Phil Wilson said: I was brought up in a coal mining community, the son of a miner. Retrieved from http://studymoose.com/describe-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-referendums-essay. This suggests that referendums are not always a true representation of what the public wants an outcome to be. 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. If a government were to offer the people to make a decision on an major issue and then ignore their verdict it would be politically suicidal. Brexit was . Depending on the precise rules adopted, referendums and initiatives Renewable Energy. Advisory Referendum A referendum in which the result is not legally binding. Should UK adopt a written constitution considering advantages and disadvantages? One advantage of using referendums in the UK is that they enable the public that are over 18 to approve or disprove important . There was a political imperative for this as if the Government had planned for a leave vote it would have been portrayed that they did not think they could win. 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. What might be some of the weaknesses of referendums? . The public's interests are therefore best protected by 'government by politicians' rather than self-government. The pound depreciation as an aftereffect of Brexit. This is because although a majority of people voted a certain way, there is usually a very slim margin between this and the other outcome which could be achieved. Unlike General Elections, referendums allow political parties and voters to focus entirely on a single issue. Referenda provide a clear answer to a question the government might be 'asking'. A good example of this is the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014. Indeed, the average majority since 1945 has been 58.4 seats. (28 Dec 2006), EISA - Promoting Credible Elections & Democratic Governance in Africa, United Nations. Political division in both the UK and Colombia has been markedly intensified by the 2016 campaigns there.. Another is that voters do not always have the capacity or information to make informed decisions about the issue at stake, and instead may make ill-informed decisions based on partial knowledge or on the basis of unrelated factors such as the state of the economy. Why is the Brexit Referendum a good case study of some of the issues with Referendums? -gives more legitimacy that just a simple act of parliament. Moreover, even when looking at the people who did vote and the outcome which was achieved, referendums can never truly represent everyone and meet societys needs as a whole. They also claim that, since in many countries turnout at referendums is lower than at national elections, the argument that referendums increase the legitimacy of political decisions does not stand up. Dr Adam Quinn, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Referendum campaigns themselves can be savagely divisive, especially when the prospect of a narrow victory tempts campaigners to use every argument at their disposal. Second, in the cases of difficult negotiations over a peace settlement in societies afflicted by years of civil conflict, the prospect of a popular vote on the final deal concentrates the minds of those negotiating on coming up proposals that can be politically sustained. Several arguments are advanced in support of and in opposition to referendums. 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. List of the Pros of Referendums. EEC Membership 1975 stopped the Labour government from collapsing. 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It undermined representative democracy. (04 May 2017), Comparative examples of rules and procedures applying to by-elections (23 Jul 2013), Changes to electoral systems/voting from abroad? Political division in both the UK and Colombia has been markedly intensified by the 2016 campaigns there. 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. There is one further type of referendum that also needs recognition and that is unofficial referendums. We are improving the health of people across the world through new discoveries, treatments and patient pathways and working in partnership to build a transformative health ecosystem in our region. 2. The advantages and disadvantages of different electrical energy sources. 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. The Ways in Which Parliament Interacts with the Executive. There is also an argument that governments need a specific popular mandate for any transcendental changes that were not part of the original platform on which they campaigned. Referendums do not have a long history in the UK. Drawing on recent examples, there are clear disadvantages that need to be considered. The first is that a referendum campaign opens the space for actors on either side to portray the choice between the status quo and the proposed change as a false one, and to seduce voters with false promises based on fantasies of what ideal outcome might be delivered as an alternative if voters reject the course elites like party leaders have recommended. A referendum is a vote given to the public which is determined by the government, and is used to help answer an important political or constitutional question to which the public must vote a simple 'yes' or 'no'. Disadvantages of Fibre Optic Cabling. First, June saw an unexpected British vote to leave the European Union (EU). In Britain, referendums had been associated with Nazi Germany, where Hitler had use plebiscites to confirm support for his policies such as making himself Fuhrer (1934) and Anschluss (1938). Dont know where to start? Should further powers be given to devolved governments? Therefore, it is not really the exercise in direct democracy. The Scottish referendum on independence had a very high turnout and high levels of popular engagement in the debates. Copyright Get Revising 2023 all rights reserved. . resolve issues which government and individual parties are unlikely to be able to resolve easily. 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