Therefore, for an official referendum to be held, the Westminster Parliament have to agree to it. List of the Cons of Brexit. PLEASE NOTE: We are currently in the process of updating this chapter and we appreciate your patience whilst this is being completed. Public are given direct control over policy-making, ensuring their views and interests are directly reflected in policy . Advantages. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the publication, and to remix and adapt it, provided it is only for non-commercial purposes, that you appropriately attribute the publication and that you distribute it under an identical license. Constitutional Scholar Vernon Bogdanor argues that referendums can effectively create a third chamber in the legislative process. This makes it difficult to fully understand the clear mandate for a particular policy issue. You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers. Referendums can undermine representative democracy. Essay on the Advantages and Disadvantages of Free Trade. Is the Prime Minister Effectively a President? PolitiFact | Whats missing from media claims linking Google Trends to Brexit vote, Prime Ministers Questions Highlights 12.10.2022, Whether Britain should remain or leave the EU, 55.3% of voters chose to remain in the UK, Whether the Alternative Vote should replace First Past the Post for UK General Elections, 67.9% of voters chose to retain First Past the Post, Welsh Assembly Legislative Powers Referendum, Whether the Welsh Assembly should be given more legislative powers, 63.5% of voters chose to increase the legislative powers of the Welsh Assembly, Whether the North-East of England should have its own devolved assembly, 77.9% of voters chose to reject the establishment of a North-East Assembly, Whether the Good Friday agreement should be ratified, 71.1% of voters chose to ratify the Good Friday Agreement, Whether devolution should be granted to Greater London, 72% of of voters chose to establish a devolved system for London, Whether devolution should be introduced to Wales, 50.3% of voters chose to devolve powers to Wales, Whether devolution should be introduced to Scotland, 74.3% of voters chose to devolve players to Scotland, 79.7% of voters chose to reject devolution to Wales, 51.6% of voters chose to devolve powers to Scotland. 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. In most elections this does not happen (especially under a proportional system) however in a referendum there is one winning side and one losing side. 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 Northern Ireland. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (political parties) among voters.The essence of such systems is that all votes cast - or almost all votes cast - contribute to the result and are effectively used to help elect someone . Arguably, this makes the UK more democratic as the general public have a direct say on the decisions that the government makes and although they are not lawfully binding, they successfully require the federal government and parliament to adhere to the publics outcome. 4. 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. The Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014 and the Brexit Referendum of 2016 are examples of this. Drawing on recent examples, there are clear disadvantages that need to be considered. (10 Apr 2012), Paramount chieftaincy as a system of local government Included among those shocked was, apparently, the Nobel Peace Prize committee, which had prematurely rewarded president Santos with its 2016 prize. In the 2015 General Election UKIP won 12.6% of the votes, taking many votes away from the Conservatives. Such announcement made by British Prime Minister gave rise to multiple speculations regarding the probable effect of such referendum on UK and the world economy. Brexit involves the process of negotiating new trade deals, citizen registration rules, borders, etc. 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. The process started on June 23, 2016, after the referendum passed by 51.9% to 48.1%. The Scots referendum saw high levels of engagement in complex economic and constitutional issues. However, referendums give control over often extremely complex moral and political issues to voters. However, in the 2016 Referendum each of these eurosceptic votes counted equally. Plebiscite A plebiscite is an advisory referendum. One advantage of using referendums in the UK is that they enable the public that are over 18 to approve or disprove important . . 806 8067 22 Disadvantages of referendums in regards to constitutional changes. Referenda can unite a divided party. Possible Constraints on a Prime Ministers Power. However, realistically most are politically binding. Once people have had a referendum on one issue, they begin to expect it for more issues even if that issue is not well suited to be settled by a referendum. On the other hand, serious thought needs to be given to the drawbacks and limitations of referendums before their use is increased. Referendums do not have a long history in the UK. It is clear that when voting the UK population was not well-educated on Brexit. 5. This could be seen as undemocratic as only just over half of the voting populations decision was accounted for. A referendum helps to make decisions legitimate and confirms the principle of government by consent. Additionally, referendums can be used to educate the public and raise citizens awareness of political issues. Vernon Bogdanor argues that just as joining the EU fundamentally altered the UK constitution, so Brexit could, by exposing the very nakedness of Britain's uncodified . In 2007 the SNP won the Scottish Election and did so again in 2011. In Britain there has been an independent electoral commission since 2001. Referendums can often be hijacked by other issues. For example, the Westminster Government under Boris Johnson have pledged to prevent a Second Scottish Independence Referendum despite the widespread support for SNP. Referenda provide a clear answer to a question the government might be 'asking'. Another argument for direct democracy being used more widely in the UK is that it prevents the government and MPs making extremely unpopular decisions . For example, the Scottish Independent Referendum in 2014 allowed for a robust debate about that issue and was, in the words of then SNP Leader Alex Salmond a once in a generation vote. This gives the final verdict a greater mandate than that received as the result of a General Election. Depending on the precise rules adopted, referendums and initiatives A good example of this may be the EU Referendum in 2016. Although, other laws may be incorporated into it by reference in its provisions. 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. people will not respect the decisions that they make themselves. It was a protest against . The issue realistically has to be broken into a binary question. Component 1: UK Politics - referendums. 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. 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. Advantages and disadvantages of the referendum instrument, Electoral Systems, Institutional Framework & Governance, Making Elections Accessible and Meaningful, Facilitating Stable and Efficient Government, Holding Individual Representatives Accountable, Promoting Legislative Opposition and Oversight, Making the Election Process Workable and Sustainable, Taking into Account 'International Standards'. In November 2009, the Committee began an inquiry into "the role of referendums in the UK's constitutional experience". As a result of the legitimacy that a direct vote bestows, they can have an enormous impact in settling controversial issues. Explain the Benefits and Downsides of using Referendums in the UK? Focus. Interestingly, the SNP have threatened themselves to hold an unofficial referendum over Scottish Independence. Seats where one party regularly scores more than 50 per cent of the vote (210 seats . For example, Good Friday Agreement . Also, the government determine when to hold a referendum and could be done to suit their own needs. The question is usually designed to receive a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Take for instance, in Nigeria there is the 1999 . and then Add to Home Screen. It could prove Britain's constitutional moment. Setting rules for campaigning in the referendum including relating to spending. (23 Jul 2013), Changes to electoral systems/voting from abroad? 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. A referendum is a vote provided to the general public which is determined by the federal government, and is used to help answer a crucial political or constitutional concern to which the public need to vote a simple 'yes' or 'no'. . On the other hand, PPC lets you buy prominent positioning on search pages, like Google, potentially bringing much larger audiences to your website. Brexit was . Political education - by widening debate on an issue, referendums create a better educated electorate, who have a stronger incentive to think and act politically. 2. Reproduced by permission of International IDEA from Electoral System Design: The New International IDEA Handbook 2005 International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance The electronic version of this publication is made available under a Creative Commons Attribute-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) licence. Some of these include: To gain legitimacy for an important political or constitutional decision When controversial political or constitutional decisions need to be made it is useful for representatives to get the direct consent of the electorate. In addition to this, it covers the advantages and disadvantages of customs unions, including the loss of influence over one's country's trade policy and the possibility of . In the 2015 General Election UKIP had won 3.8 million votes (12.6%) but had only secured one seat in Parliament. On Thursday 23 June 2016 a referendum was held in order to come to a decision if the UK should remain a member of EU and more than 30 million people have voted. Dont know where to start? Investigating any wrongdoing relating to the referendum. 5. Referendums are the purest form of democracy as it is entirely up to the people to decide. Pros and cons of Brexit. The decision being put to the people meant it was legitimised. Executives and legislatures, in their bid to out do the other, have utilized the referendum to secure their political goals. This took place on both sides of the debate. This is another disadvantage associated with holding referendums in the UK as voters may lose interest in politics. Don't use plagiarized sources. Psephology The study of the statistics and probabilities surrounding elections. The party promised a referendum on the decision of the Heath Government to join the EEC. For example, British voters were given a choice in 2016 on whether to stay in or leave the European Union. Referendums give power to uneducated voters. These are referendums without a clear legal mandate and are often therefore very controversial. Unofficial Referendum A referendum that has no legal basis. Referendums have become more widely used since 1997 and have helped to decide controversial policies. Advantages and disadvantages of the referendum instrument. The only real advantage in an uncodified constitution is that it avoids all the problems involved in achieving a codified one. 5. 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. (20 Sep 2011), Manually counting ballots in Block Vote systems Now we have Britain's rejection of the EU. Referendums provide constitutional changes that need the peoples assent. (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). 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 . [ 1] Referendums, by which citizens are given the opportunity to express a view on specific issues, have antecedents in the Middle Ages and earlier. 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. Reserved Power Powers that are kept by the Westminster Government and not devolved, for example Defence. Brexit is a major constitutional change. 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. To confirm a decision taken by a previous Government Sometimes a party will promise a referendum as a position of opposition to the current government. 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. 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