AQA A LEVEL POLITICS GRADE A [21/25] MODEL ESSAY:
“The use of referendums in the UK since 1997 has done little to strengthen democracy.” Analyse and evaluate this statement. [25 marks]
“The use of referendums in the UK since 1997 has done little to strengthen democracy.”
Analyse and evaluate this statement. (21/25)
The use of referendums are key in informing public policy by posing the issue to a public vote. In this
way referendums boost direct democracy by reducing the power of government whilst encouraging
participation and boosting education on political issues. However, it is important to note that
referendums are prone to the influence of government in campaigns resulting in misinformation and
may be used as opinion polls for voters, thus presenting skewed outcomes and unreliable results.
Firstly, the use of referendums in the UK since 1997 has allowed for more opportunities for direct
democracy. The public is offered a choice of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the ballot paper, thus providing direct
influence on an issue and informing the executive’s decision. An example of this is the 2016 Brexit
referendum success of the Leave campaign despite the Conservative government’s official backing of
the Remain campaign, resulting in the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister in direct
response to the public’s vote thus demonstrating how referendums contribute to a more flexible form
of democracy. Its impact is seen through the The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020
which finalised Brexit in turn amending the constitution in accordance with popular support. This
pattern is mirrored in the Scottish and Welsh referendums in 1997 when over 40% of the electorate
voiced support for the expansion of devolved powers as the public’s vote was key in informing
constitutional changes, thus preventing the executive from wielding too much power. The democratic
power of referendums in imposing a decision on a reluctant government, in turn enforces Aristotle’s
vision of a representative democracy using ‘rule by the people’ thus strengthening the UK’s liberal
democracy and uncodified constitution.
However, perhaps while the government cannot alter the results of referendums, it can still directly
influence the campaigning process which ultimately informs the electorate’s decision. This can be
seen through the executive’s choice of referendum question in accordance with their political agenda.
An example is Manchester's congestion charge 2008 December referendum which asked “Do you
agree with the Transport Innovation Fund proposals?”: a misleading question containing no reference
to the congestion charge which was phrased to elicit a positive response, thus manipulating the
outcome. This begs the question of an automatic bias as sometimes 2 sides may be unequally
resourced for campaigns. In the 1975 EEC referendum the ‘yes’ campaign outspent the ‘no’ campaign
as it had financial support from businesses with interest in the EEC thus undermining the public’s
vote. Not only can the government choose the timing of the referendum but they also decide on the
issue. In November 2022 the Supreme Court ruled that a Scottish independence referendum cannot
take place without Westminster’s agreement, highlighting the government’s control over the political
narrative in referendums. Therefore, the scope for democratic choice in referendums is limited as the
questions, issues and referendum campaigns reflect the executive’s political agenda, preventing the
electorate from significantly impacting policy.
Nonetheless, referendums have enhanced political participation by encouraging voting in between
elections to create the impression of a responsive government. Notably in the 2014 Scottish
independence referendum 74% of 16-17 year olds voted with 71% voting ‘yes’, showing how
extending the franchise could lead to a more representative outcome. Moreover, the Scottish
referendum saw 84% turnout which is significantly higher than the 63.8% turnout in the 2010 general
elections, illustrating how increased direct democracy would solve the UK's declining political
participation.This pattern is mirrored in the 2016 EU referendum with 72% turnout in comparison to
2015 which only had 66%. However, this increased to 69.1% in the 2017 general elections. These
statistics show how referendums, unlike elections, allow more expression on a particular issue, thus
boosting turnout rates and wider engagement. In turn this would legitimise outcomes as the 71%
voted in favour of the Good Friday Agreement referendum deal, providing a clear majority on
contentious issues.
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