Referendums, though they may be political lifeboats, can be very bad for democracy

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Series Details 19.02.18
Publication Date 19/02/2018
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Britain has an uncodified constitution. No one is exactly clear – when is it proper for a government to hold a referendum? In the absence of clarity, all seek to take advantage, to the detriment of well-functioning democracy. Consequently, while referendums may be treated as political lifeboats, they can be very bad for democracy, argues Peter Wiggins.

Source Link http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexitvote/
Related Links
ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/
United Kingdom: House of Commons: Library: Briefing Paper No.7570 (22.04.16): Referendums on the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/referendums-on-the-european-union-2/
European Business Law Review, Vol.28, No.6, 2017: European Union and national referendums: need for change after the Brexit vote? http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-union-and-national-referendums-need-for-change-after-the-brexit-vote/
Journal of Contemporary European Research, Vol.13, No.4 (2017): The Strategic Use of Government-Sponsored Referendums in Contemporary Europe: Issues and Implications http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-strategic-use-of-government-sponsored-referendums-in-contemporary-europe-issues-and-implications/
UCL: The Constitution Unit: Blog, 06.12.16: The role of referendums in the UK: the question of information http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-role-of-referendums-in-the-uk-the-question-of-information/
UK: Parliament: Get-Involved: Vote in general elections and referendums: Referendums in the UK http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/elections/referendums-held-in-the-uk/
UCL: The Constitution Unit: Independent Commission on Referendums http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/electionsandreferendums/icreferendums

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