Referendums: Arguments For and Against

Referendums Arguments For and AgainstWhat argon the arguments for and against the holding of popular referendums? Under what mass, if any, should they be held?The referendum has its origins in direct republic, and can wherefore be dated linchpin to the 5th Century BC in the Greek city verbalize of Athens. The concept of a referendum has changed and developed in line with democracy and can now be show in a bite of differing forms by means ofout the developed world. A referendum is broadly defined by the Oxford position lexicon as a general voter turnout by the electorate on a single semi governmental question however this definition fails to make distinctions amidst the many another(prenominal) types of referendum which exist, or the modern day impressiveness of referendums. In an initial classification there be three types of referendum as defined by the Britannica terse Encyclopaedia. Obligatory referendums which argon required by law, optional referendums which arg on put on the ballot when a sufficient number of voters sign a petition demanding that a law passed by the legislature be ratified by the people, and voluntary referendums when legislatures submit to voters to decide an issue or to test habitual opinion. in that respect are a number of widely credited arguments both for and against the holding of popular referendums, however, there are only a some key ideas encapsulated in these arguments. Those in favour of referendums generally tend to commit out that they promote semi policy-making participation and increase voter knowledge on issues as salutary as patroning to strengthen democracy and further legitimate the government. Whilst arguments against referendums concentrate on ideas that the public are ill provide to make important political decisions, and that the information they do maintain is distorted through media square off, that referendums only provide an idea of public opinion at that ace point in time, and that re ferendums interrupt and remove power from the representative institutions take by the public. The holding of popular referendums is key in a democratic system where the people are becoming, not only disengaged but disinterested in the political process as a whole. The use of referendums can help to counter this affect, provided that run guidelines are identify for when a referendum should take place.The word democracy comes from the Latin demos meaning the people and kratos meaning power or rule (OED) rule by the people. The practicalities of this literal definition, often referred to as direct democracy, are almost unsuffer equal to(p) in our world today, where in the UK in 2005 there were 44,245,939 people registered to vote (www.idea.int)1. However, representative democracy is a limited and indirect form of democracy (Heywood 200774) which relies on, in most cases, an electoral polity for legitimacy. This electoral mandate has been called into question on a number of occasi ons in modern political history, most notably in the US presidential election of 2005 mingled with George W Bush and Al Gore, and again in the UK General Election of 2005. Referendums could be seen in a modern political context as a stepping stone between direct and representative democracy. It is fair to say that in the majority of developed political societies people have the opportunity to vote into office representatives whom they believe to share policy views with. However, it would be unacceptable for any political party to represent all the views of its members and supporters, as a result parties may allow in certain policy promises in their manifestos that their voters do not want to see implemented (Caramani 2008254). This, along with the event that people vote for parties for such a wide range of reasons, mean that it is not possible to shut down that peoples policy preferences are the same as the party they vote for (Setala 1999 14-16). Therefore, a referendum allows the public to show a direct opinion on a specific policy matter they would otherwise be impossible. relate to the idea that referendums strengthen democracy with regards to policy decisions, there is as well as the theory that they legitimate government between elections. The result between major governmental elections is, in many countries, several years. In this time period governments can, for the most part, make decisions without any public consultation. There is and so a danger that although these officials are elective as representatives, it is only the opposition parties and the checks and balances outlined in writings that prevent them from deviating from their original promises. Referendums allow the government to not only gauge public opinion on policy but also to make clear that the decisions they are making are in line with public attitude on issues concerning them, therefore providing other check against the power of government.Opponents to referendums argue that instead of strengthening democracy and legitimising government they in particular countercheck the political system by removing power from elective bodies. Representative democracy is founded on the principle that elected officials represent the views of the people and make decisions on their behalf therefore a referendum undermines this principle. Sir Patrick Nairne observed that if Members of Parliament are elected to settle national issues of major policy brought before them by the Government, is it right to throw such issues back to the voters to settle (Qvotrup 200523). This argument concerning the weakening of bodies is, although worth acknowledging, very limited in its view on referendums. It concentrates for the most part on the idea that referendums remove decision making power from elected bodies and would therefore chip in them both less effective and less powerful. However, this is an extreme view that fails to recognise that referendums can be use to aid government s as salubrious as the people, and provide a critical link between the two, as has already been argued.In the majority of political systems across the world we are witnessing a worrying downward(prenominal) trend in voter turnout. This can be attributed to a number of causes including partisan dealignment, disenchantment with the political system and indifference to politics. Referendums can be used to help promote political participation by enabling the electorate to become better educated and informed and therefore reduce the feeling of alienation (Heywood 2007250). By providing people with the opportunity to participate in referendums they are presented with the opportunity to educate and inform themselves on political issues. There is clearly a link between an informed electorate and higher levels of political participation, as Verba, Schlozman and Brady (1995) argue. This correlation coefficient arises from the fact that a more politically educated electorate is able underst and the workings of government, and the issues affecting them therefore seek to bring about change. Switzerland was one of the first countries to introduce referendums to make decisions on proposed legislation. Although turnout figures in Switzerland are not very high, around 45% (www.idea.int)2, it can be argued that the Swiss people are more politically active than turnout figures show due to the fact that there is such a large number of referendums not everyone votes in all of them, and also that they are more involved with political parties and in other ship agency than most other countries.Aside from elections there are very few ways in which citizens can directly influence political decisions. There are provisions in most democratic countries for the electorate to have some personal contact with their representative, however for the most part people do not make use of this tool because they believe it to be ineffectual issues raised in these arenas rarely have an effect on th e outcome of policy. People are also able to heart and soul political parties yet again, they are typed with the same problems of ineffectuality. A referendum therefore provides an answer to increasing ways for the electorate to positively participate in politics. A binding referendum permits the public to make the final decision on a specific policy, although these types of referendums are not widely used, it is rare for a government to go against the public even in a non-binding referendum. In 1975 the UK, both electorate and government, was divided over whether or not it should restrain its membership in the European Economic Community. The overwhelming Yes vote to stay in Europe was upheld by the Labour government of the time, although it was not a binding referendum, and was hailed as a historic decision by Prime Minister Harold Wilson (www.bbc.co.uk/news)3.The counter arguments to increased political participation and voter knowledge through referendums are that in fact, re ferendums can cause voter fatigue and decrease participation, and that the public are ill equipped to make important political decisions. The first of these arguments relies on the premise that the public would be able to vote on all or a large number of policies. However, this move back to direct democracy is not desirable for the public or the government presenting the public with such a large number of opportunities to vote could indeed cause voting fatigue. There is a compromise to be found between allowing the public to vote on all policy and not allowing them to vote on it at all.The last mentioned of these criticisms on referendums concern voter knowledge. It is ignorant to assume that the electorate are either not informed, or are unable, to educate themselves on political issues put to them in referendums. If people are able to vote and presumably make an informed decision on which political party they wish to represent them they are equally able to do so in a referendum. Critics argue that information is distorted through the media prior to referendums, and this is a problem worth considering. During the first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland two of Rupert Murdochs biggest marketing newspapers The Irish Sun and The Sunday Times were seen as going hell for leather on a No vote (www.guardian.co.uk)4 similarly the media coverage on the 1975 Common Market Referendum was heavily biased to the Yes campaign, it has been estimated that twenty times the amount of money was available to this campaign than to the No campaign (www.europeansinglecurrency.com/referendum)5. Although in these instances the media seemed to have an influence on the final outcome there are other, more fundamental, factors which influence peoples decisions, the American political scientist rear end Zaller encapsulates this idea Every opinion is a marriage of information and predisposition (Zaller 19926).For referendums to be used efficaciously it is important that the c ircumstances in which they should be held are clearly defined and upheld by law. When considering this point one must take into account that referendums should not used in a way that, as many opponents argue, undermines the authority of the elected bodies in a representative democracy. An answer to this is that referendums should only be used in matters of inherent importance and not for other policy decisions. It is, after all, constitutions which safeguard the fundamental rights of the electorate as rise up as preventing the misuse of power by elected bodies (Dahl 2000 124-127). However, only allowing people to vote on inherent changes is very limiting, especially if the issue directly influences the way in which they live, and there may also be instances in which the government wishes to hold a referendum on another issue, therefore a wider definition for circumstances must be found. It would be almost impossible to define exactly which policy areas the electorate should be ab le to vote on in referendums. There are obviously issues on which it would be inappropriate to have a referendum, taxes are an obvious example there are complex issues on which the public would believably not have the time or adequate resources to inform themselves on and which have no in truth affect on them, for example defence policies. Therefore the best course of action would probably be to allow the elected body to decide in these instances which policies it is sensible to put to a referendum. Australia, in fact follows these basic guidelines for holding referendums to great success. Compulsory national referendums are held to approve government-proposed changes to the Australian Constitution, the constitution specifies this furthermore the government can also conduct optional referendums or plebiscites to decide on matters away of the constitution (www.wikipedia.org)6. This system of conducting referendums is ideal because the electorate are guaranteed a vote on constituti onal issues as well as being given the opportunity, when appropriate, to vote on other policy matters.Referendums provide a vital direct link between government and the electorate which is otherwise unseen in representative democracies. They can help to promote political participation as well as creating a better informed electorate they also strengthen democracy in modern society. Yet referendums, despite all of this are often criticised for the way in which they weaken elected bodies and do not provide a true gauge on public opinion, largely due to media influence. However, as has been argued none of these arguments hold much weight, especially in the face of a system where the use of referendums have clear guidelines, as in Australia, to be used for constitutional amendments and wherever else is seen as fit by the elected bodies in power. Referendums are a tool which should be used more widely in todays political systems of democracy as they are a tractable and positive step tow ards a hybrid political system which effectively combines representative and direct democracy.BibliographyBritannica laconic Encyclopaedia (2007) (London Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia, Inc.)Caramani, Daniele (2008) Comparative Politics (Oxford Oxford University Press)Dahl, Robert. A. (2000) On Democracy (Yale Yale University Press)Heywood, Andrew (2007) Politics third edition (Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan)Oxford Dictionary of English (2005) 2nd edition revised (Oxford Oxford University Press)Setala, Maija (1999) Referendums and Democratic Government Normative Theory and the Analysis of Institutions (Basingstoke Macmillan)Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman, Schlozman and hydrogen Brady (1995) Voice and Equality Civic Voluntarism in American Politics (Cambridge Harvard University Press)Zaller, John (1992) The Nature and Origins of Mass view (Cambridge Cambridge University Press)1 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Voter Turnout International Institute for Democracy an d electoral Assistance 2005 http//www.idea.int/vt/country_view.cfm?country=GB (13 Nov. 2009)2 Swiss Confederation Voter Turnout International Institute for Democracy and electoral Assistance 2007 http//www.idea.int/vt/country_view.cfm?id=42 (13 Nov. 2009)3 1975 UK embraces Europe on Referendum 1975 http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/6/newsid_2499000/2499297.stm (13 Nov. 2009)4 NI votes NO in Irish referendum 2009 http//www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/01/ireland-referendum-rupert-murdoch (13 Nov 2009)5 Was the 1975 Referendum Conducted Fairley A British Referendum 2003 http//www.europeansinglecurrency.com/referendum.htm (13 Nov 2009)6 Federal Referendums Referendums in Australia 2009 http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendums_in_Australia (13 Nov 2009)