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Anonymous
Posted May 9, 2008
In this excellent book, Matt Qvortrup, the Chair of Politics at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, studies the theory and practice of referendums. Chapter One shows how referendums can be democratic. Chapter Two examines the Victorian constitutional lawyer A. V. Dicey¿s theory of the referendum as a people¿s safeguard against encroachments by their elected representatives. Chapter Three looks at the theory that the electorate is always reactionary. Chapter Four asks whether referendums on constitutional issues should be obligatory. Chapter Five looks at different models of referendums, either called by a minority in parliament or by a specified number of electors. Chapter Six proposes reforms. This second edition has new appendices on campaign spending and administration. Unlimited corporate spending can distort referendum results, just as it can distort election results. The argument therefore is not against referendums, but against unlimited corporate spending. Direct democracy, including referendums, complements representative democracy, contrary to the dogma of parliamentary sovereignty. John Locke argued that parliament was not sovereign because its power was only lent by the people, who are the ultimate sovereign power. Qvortrup shows that 49% of postwar referendums in Western Europe have overruled the government¿s position, which proves that referendums are not the tools of governments. 51% have backed the government¿s position, which proves that people do not just oppose the government whatever the merits of the issue. After the Danish referendum on the EU¿s Maastricht Treaty, a survey found that voters¿ knowledge surpassed that of non-specialist MPs: 90% had a reasonable knowledge of the issue. This contradicts the elitist prejudices of all too many MPs, who never doubt their own ability to decide what is best for the country. As political scientist Vernon Bogdanor noted, ¿the arguments against the referendums are also arguments against democracy.¿ So, to refuse a referendum on the issue of increasing EU integration, on which all the parliamentary parties promised a referendum, is to oppose democracy.
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Overview
Combining an account of the political history and philosophy of the referendum, with a thorough assessment of the practical experiences with referendums in western democracies, this book has established itself as the unrivalled market-leader in the field. Fully revised and with new chapters on campaign spending and the administration of referendums, the second edition of this book provides a thorough overview of the theory and practice of ...