The sense and nonsense of referenda

On the Internet forum Open Democracy, political scientist and MEP George Schöpflin discusses the suitability of referenda: "In too many cases - European integration among them - referenda function as an instrument not of democracy, but of populism. They can assist democracy only in a few special circumstances: for example, to resolve an issue that is more ethical than political (legalising divorce or abortion, say); or to unblock a political system (offering autonomy or independence to the population of a particular region and thus perhaps helping to avoid civil war or ameliorate division). ... Referenda are profoundly unsuitable ways of addressing complex issues, because they offer the illusion of a simple answer to complexity. ... Referenda reintroduce the tyranny of the majority. ... It is quite plausible that a referendum on, say, recriminalising homosexuality or reintroducing the death penalty would gain a majority ... in several European nation-states. Referenda offer power without responsibility, in that voters can confront elites without having to face the consequences of their action. ... Accountability and responsibility, after all, have to be a two-way process to work at all. Referenda operate only in one direction and, for that reason, are not an appropriate or a democratically sustainable instrument in European matters."

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