Referendums

Question 1

Which referendum did nationalists boycott? What did this mean for the results?

Answer 1

1973 Northern Ireland Referendum
Government did not agree to be bound by results because verdict was unfair

Question 2

Which referendum was criticised over the wording of the question and the debate was said to favour the government view?

Answer 2

1975 Membership of the EU

Question 3

Which referendum failed to meet the threshold that was set?

Answer 3

1979 Devolution for Scotland and Wales
Only would accept result if 40%+ voted ‘yes’
Failed to go through because threshold was not met

Question 4

1997 Devolution for Scotland and Wales

Answer 4

Labour had a manifesto commitment to devolution

Question 5

2011 Alternative Vote Referendum

Answer 5

Highly unsuccessful referendum
Low turnout
Defeated 67% to 33%

Question 6

Result of 2016 Remain or Leave EU

Answer 6

Leave 52%
Remain 48%

Question 7

What type of democracy can referendums be seen as?

Answer 7

direct democracy - public are directly and more frequently involved in decision making
pure democracy - unmediated by representatives

Question 8

How do referendums help restore faith in British democracy?

Answer 8

at a time when public trust in the political system is lower than ever before referendums offers the potential to reshape the political division of labour between citizens and legislators

Question 9

How do referendums act as a check on government?

Answer 9

elective dictatorship - dominance of the HoC gives it too much power
referendums allow people to weaken this dominance as it constrains the government of the day

Question 10

How are referendums an important legitimising mechanism?

Answer 10

• gives a decision “democratic weight” and therefore be more legitimate
• legitimises a significant change as it provides gov of the day with a mandate to undertake change

Question 11

How are referendums a “weapon of entrenchment”?

Answer 11

makes it difficult to reverse a policy that has evident public support

Question 12

How do referendums settle an issue? Give examples.

Answer 12

it enables a single issue to be isolated so an explicit verdict can be given
e.g. 1975 EU Referendum - put to bed the issue for a generation
e.g. 1995 Irish divorce referendum - divorce was approve narrowly ceased the issue overnight which would have been unlikely had the decision been made by parliament alone

Question 13

How are referendums a “protective device”?

Answer 13

safeguards against controversial decisions

Question 14

How could referendums combat ‘political alienation and malaise’?

Answer 14

• enhances engagement with the democratic and political process
• promotes voter education as citizens are encouraged to learn quite deeply about the concentrated and isolated issue in hand

Question 15

Why are referendums popular with voters?

Answer 15

because they are seen as a fair and legitimate way of resolving difficult or significant issues especially on big constitutional matters
voters understand that their participation in the electoral process has real policy implications

Question 16

Give an example of a referendum with a high turnout

Answer 16

2014 Scottish Independence 84%

Question 17

Give an example of a referendum with a low turnout

Answer 17

1998 London Mayor 45%

Question 18

What are the reasons for referendums to be called?

Answer 18

• legitimise a government decision
• getting governments out of difficult situations
• a result of a deal between parties
• response to pressure

Question 19

Give an example of a referendum that legitimised a government decision

Answer 19

1997 Scottish and Welsh devolution

Question 20

Give an example of a referendum that got a government out of difficult situations

Answer 20

1975 European Referendum

Question 21

Give an example of a referendum that was the result of a deal between parties

Answer 21

2011 AV Referendums

Question 22

Give an example of a referendum that was a response to pressure

Answer 22

2016 Brexit Referendum

Question 23

What do referendums challenge?

Answer 23

parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy that has been the essence of UK politics

Question 24

How do referendums challenge parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy?

Answer 24

referendums put the people before parliament so the sovereignty of parliament becomes the sovereignty of the people

Question 25

How does a low turnout in referendums impact results?

Answer 25

could weaken the legitimacy of results e.g. 1998 London Mayor

Question 26

Why is there a lower turnout for referendums?

Answer 26

• voter fatigue
• little public appetite for referendums to be used
• turnout is falling already when people have to vote generally every 4 or 5 years

Question 27

What could possibly skew results for referendums?

Answer 27

secondary influences like media or pressure groups

Question 28

How can referendums be described as a “conservative device”?

Answer 28

they block progress
in the uK referendums were most conceived as a means of placing a delay on certain developments such as BREXIT

Question 29

How might voters vote tactically in referendums?

Answer 29

With referendums sometimes the status quo can often seem more reassuring and less threatening than change encouraging the public to vote accordingly

Question 30

Give an example of when referendums have not settled the issue in question

Answer 30

1970s Devolution referendum had not brought an end to Irish, Scottish and Welsh nationalism but rather the issues were revisited in referendums in the 1990s with further referendums planned in Scotland and Wales

Question 31

How do referendums fail to deal with complex issues?

Answer 31

oversimplifies a complex issue into a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’
elected representatives have the expertise that ordinary citizens don’t have - it is unrealistic to expect ordinary citizens to be interested in or qualified to have informed opinions on important constitutional issues

Question 32

Give an example of when a referendum was not about the issue in question

Answer 32

1997 Welsh devolution, aeroplane had a banner which said ‘Vote Yes, Vote Blair’ which had nothing to do with the question being posed but instead chimed with the political mood

Question 33

Why might referendums not always be about the issue in question?

Answer 33

Referendum campaigns become too dominated by peripheral issues
Often expresses a view on political party

Question 34

What was the first referendum used in the UK?

Answer 34

1973 Northern Irish Border Referendum