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It's naive to assume referendums are inherently more democratic. The Brexit situation is one good example why. They posed the wrong question and arrived at an
by bayesian_horse 7y ago
It's naive to assume referendums are inherently more democratic.
The Brexit situation is one good example why. They posed the wrong question and arrived at an answer the majority of both the voters and the parliament are already deeply unhappy with...
If I wanted to grab power and rule as a dictator, I would hold referendums every month. You just wouldn't like the questions or the rules...
- yxhuvud 7y agoStrictly speaking though, UK also only have advisory referendums. If parliament wanted to they could just ignore Brexit. Politically impossible even if legal, though.
- bayesian_horse 7y agoThe British parliament seems to be ignoring Brexit just fine, it's just that only the prime minister can stop it.
- BurningFrog 7y ago> It's naive to assume referendums are inherently more democratic. I think they're more democratic, pretty much by definition. The point you're making is that they're not good.
- bayesian_horse 7y agoDemocracy is not the dictatorship of the majority. All successful democratic constitutions limit what "a majority" can decide on. To enhance democracy, referendums need certain precise conditions, which are hard or impractical to achieve. For example: Who decides what goes on the ballot? What do you do if too many issues make it on the ballot, such that the voters and the election staff (or volunteers in most cases) get exhausted and can't effectively participate? How should campaign financing be controlled? How are democratic norms enforced against referendums if necessary? Another interesting issue arises when voters decide on the rights of those who are not allowed to vote. Mostly immigrants today. But guess how Switzerland became the last democratic country in Western Europe to get full voting rights for women...