Furthermore, representatives can be made accountable for their decisions. The public would be able to bear this in mind when the next election occurs. This is known as accountability. It could be argued that the Liberal Democratic Leader, Nick Clegg failed to stick to his promise of opposing the university tuition fee rise and therefore is held accountable.
Lastly, in a direct democracy people may react emotionally to certain issues. This is why having a representative democracy is better, as representatives can be rational and also has a rational approach to problems. For example, some say that going to war with Iraq was an emotional choice, while others say that it was rational. Representatives are more likely to keep an open mind with certain issues like this leading to a rational, reliable choice.
Assess the arguments in favour of the greater use of referendums in the UK. (25)
Referendums are seen to be used more frequently in direct democracy countries. However they do occur in representative democracy countries such as the UK. Referendums are a form of direct democracy. They are a clear expression of the people’s view on a particular question. When a party wins a general election it is not clear which aspect of their manifesto the people support. For example, the Scottish national party (SNP) won a majority of seats in the Scottish parliament in 2011. But it is not clear whether those people who voted SNP wanted independence for Scotland. The referendum in 2014 will help to decide this.
A referendum gives a decision popular consent and legitimacy. People are much more likely to accept this decision. For example, in Northern Ireland the 1998 Referendum about “Good Friday Agreement”, the yes vote of over 70% gave a clear message of support, which the 30% who voted No had to accept.
Important constitutional decisions are entrenched by the use of referendums. This means that it is difficult to reverse a policy that had demonstrable public support. This is particularly significant as it ensures that constitutional changes, such as devolution, have some time to establish rather than being subject to an immediate repeal if there was a change of government. An example would be the 1997 referendum in Scotland which virtually entrenched the Scottish Parliament. It would be very difficult for a future government to just abolish it and a future referendum would probably be needed.
Moreover, Referendums help to resolve a political dead lock, when a government is divided over an Issue. The final decision is taken by the people. In the UK this occurred in 2011 with the “Alternative vote” referendum as there was a coalition government who couldn’t decide the matter by themselves. Another example is the 197 referendum over whether Britain should remain in the European Committee, which resulted in a majority “yes” vote.
The citizens of the state become more encouraged to participate in referendums and therefore this encourages political participation. Referendums help educate the people about the issues and get people involved in the debates. For example, the AV vote in 2011.
Lastly, referendums have many positive sides to them, another would be that it prevents the government from making unpopular decisions when a “NO2 vote is delivered. For example in 2004, the regional government bill was rejected by North East England.