I live in a representative democracy, where I vote for someone to go away and represent me and make all these decisions. If they were to start referring everything back to me I think I would want a rebate.
Claiming expenses for non-incidental expenditure is one thing, but wanting to keep the salary, which is always justified by saying it reflects the responsibility of making big decisions, and then backing out of the big decisions is a step too far.
Referendums ((I can’t quite bring myself to call then referenda – I went to a comprehensive where we didn’t do Latin)) should in any case be saved for topics which the majority of those taking part would understand, not the adoption of a huge document that nobody has read. A referendum on the EU treaty would mean 90% of those voting just relying on what they are told by newspapers who are more interested in bashing the government than in whatever is in the treaty.
I tend to agree but the problem comes when you get outfits like the present shower who go into a general election saying one thing – that they will have a referendum – and then do another when the election is over.
If political parties (and politicians) had a bit more integrity then perhaps the populace would be willing to allow them to make the decisions.
Well you might vote for someone else to make all your decisions for but the rest of us didn’t.
We voted for the policies laid before us that the various parties said they would enact if elected – one of those policies being a referendum.
Now you may say we shouldn’t be surprised that the Labour Party promised a referendum yet failed to deliver – but surely for representative democracy to work you have to take people (and parties) at their word.
And as for the argument that you shouldn’t have referenda because some people dont understand the issues – well with that point of view why bother with elections at all..
My understanding was that there was a promise to hold a referendum on the EU constitution, which is no longer a prospect. I can’t see what a vote either way would achieve, except a waste of money. The promise of a referendum was conditional – the condition being that there was still a constitution to sign up to.
If the constitution is revived then I’m sure we will have one, but otherwise the whole idea is just being urged by anti-Europeans who want an expensive stick to beat their drum with.
You can call it what you like – constitution or just another treaty – but the fact remains that two Select Committees in Parliament, concluded that in practical and legal substance, the Lisbon Treaty and the EU Constitution are the same.
Its hardly surprising that many in the UK are suspicious of the EU when our elected leaders keep pulling stunts like this. If there were a more open debate about the UK ‘s posiion within the EU then perhaps more would embrace the EU (or maybe not!)