We should be wary of fetishising referendums. They’re not a great way to do business

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Worldview: The results of two recent referendums are a reminder that yes/no answers to complex questions are not really that useful

Voice: A 'no' sign at Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club polling centre in Sydney. In Australia the referendum has had a chequered history. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty, we can expect at least one poll here next year. Maybe more. European Union states are increasingly pushing for treaty amendments ahead of further enlargement, and the prospect is, sooner or later, that Ireland will be asked to endorse further change.the referendum has had a chequered history.

In truth – sound familiar? – few voted “No” because they opposed the moderate idea of providing a new consultative body. The referendum is not just an alternative way of expressing the popular will, but an expression of a distinct theory of democracy, a preference for direct “pure” democracy at the expense of the representative or mediated democracy which we use to govern our affairs normally.

But any tinkering with democratic mechanisms, from changing the size of constituencies, voting ages, voting systems, or switching from direct to indirect voting, brings with it political consequences and can affect vote results, sometimes dramatically – there is no “best representative system” system, only different mechanisms that best reflect specific value-driven imperatives.

 

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