Referendums and how they are used | Edexcel A-Level Politics
Updated: Nov 2
For Specification 9PL0
Edexcel A-Level Politics | Free Revision Notes
Estimated study time: 75–90 minutes
Referendums allow citizens to vote directly on a political question rather than leaving the decision entirely to elected representatives. This Referendums and how they are used A-Level Politics revision page examines how referendums have been used in the UK since 1997, their impact on political life and the debate over whether they strengthen or weaken representative democracy. The topic develops your understanding of direct and representative democracy and connects electoral participation with major questions about constitutional and electoral reform. Edexcel specifically requires both the post-1997 record and arguments for and against referendums.
Learning Objectives 🎯
By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:
Explain how referendums have been used in the UK since 1997.
Describe the relationship between referendums and direct democracy.
Analyse the political impact of major UK referendums.
Explain how referendums can affect participation, legitimacy and representative democracy.
Evaluate the principal arguments for and against using referendums.
Assess whether referendums strengthen or weaken representative democracy.
Revision Notes 📚
What is a referendum?
A referendum is a vote in which the electorate is asked to decide directly on a particular political issue.
This makes referendums an example of direct democracy. Pearson defines direct democracy as a system in which individuals express their political opinions themselves rather than through representatives acting on their behalf, specifically identifying referendums as a modern example.
This contrasts with representative democracy, where voters elect politicians to exercise political choice on their behalf.
You should therefore understand referendums as a point where the two forms of democracy studied in representative and direct democracy interact.
In normal UK politics:
voters elect MPs and other representatives;
those representatives make political decisions;
Parliament passes legislation.
In a referendum:
a particular issue is referred directly to voters;
citizens themselves choose between the alternatives presented.
This creates the central debate of the topic:
Do referendums strengthen democracy by giving citizens direct control, or do they undermine representative government by bypassing elected politicians and allowing governments to manipulate when votes are held?
What does Edexcel require?
The specification requires students to understand:
how referendums have been used in the UK since 1997;
their impact on UK political life;
the case for referendums in a representative democracy;
the case against referendums in a representative democracy.
This means you need examples, but an exam answer should not become a chronological list of referendum case studies.
The examples are evidence for broader arguments about:
participation;
legitimacy;
constitutional change;
resolving political disputes;
political education;
party management;
continuing political division.
That distinction is especially important in exams.
Major UK referendums since 1997
Several referendums provide particularly useful evidence for this topic.
Referendum | Issue | Significance for this topic |
Scottish devolution, 1997 | Establishing devolved government | Part of the post-1997 programme of devolution and constitutional reform |
Welsh devolution, 1997 | Establishing devolved government | Produced a very narrow endorsement, raising questions about the legitimacy of major change following a close result |
Northern Ireland, 1998 | Good Friday Agreement | An important example of a referendum being used to support a major political settlement |
Alternative Vote, 2011 | Changing the Westminster electoral system | The proposed electoral change was rejected and the referendum was connected to the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition |
Scottish independence, 2014 | Whether Scotland should become independent | Produced exceptionally high political engagement and allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to participate |
EU membership, 2016 | Whether the UK should remain in or leave the European Union | Produced major constitutional and political consequences and remained highly politically divisive afterwards |
These examples are repeatedly used in Edexcel examination materials when assessing the post-1997 use of referendums.
Devolution referendums after 1997
Referendums were central to the programme of constitutional change undertaken after Labour came to power in 1997.
Votes on devolution helped establish new political arrangements outside Westminster.
This connects directly to constitutional reform under Labour and your later study of devolved government.
Why were these referendums significant?
Supporters can argue that major constitutional change should obtain direct public approval.
Rather than Parliament simply creating new political institutions, voters in the relevant areas could approve the proposed arrangements themselves.
This can strengthen legitimacy, meaning that political power or change has a recognised democratic basis.
The 2023 Edexcel mark scheme identifies devolution referendums as an example of citizens gaining greater political influence and of referendums contributing to civic engagement.
The Welsh referendum and legitimacy
The 1997 Welsh devolution referendum was extremely close.
Edexcel's 2023 mark scheme notes that the winning margin was less than 1% and turnout was only just above 50%. It uses this example to raise the argument that major constitutional change based on a narrow result may not demonstrate overwhelming public consent.
This illustrates a fundamental problem:
A referendum may technically produce a winner while still leaving questions about the strength of its democratic mandate.
The Northern Ireland referendum, 1998
The referendum connected to the Good Friday Agreement provides a different example.
Edexcel materials identify this as a significant case in which a referendum supported a major political settlement following conflict in Northern Ireland.
This strengthens the argument that referendums can:
provide public endorsement for major constitutional agreements;
give political changes democratic legitimacy;
help support a settlement that requires broad public acceptance.
Evaluation
This is powerful evidence in favour of referendums because the issue went beyond ordinary day-to-day policy.
However, it also demonstrates an important principle:
the effectiveness of a referendum can depend heavily on the political issue and context in which it is used.
Not every referendum produces the same consequences.
The Alternative Vote referendum, 2011
The 2011 Alternative Vote (AV) referendum asked voters whether the electoral system used for Westminster elections should change.
The proposed change was rejected.
This connects directly to your earlier study of electoral reform.
The 2024 Edexcel source and mark scheme present two different interpretations of why this referendum took place.
One interpretation is democratic:
voters were directly asked whether the Westminster electoral system should change.
The alternative interpretation is strategic:
holding the referendum was connected to the agreement that enabled the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government.
Edexcel's 2024 mark scheme explicitly identifies the argument that the AV referendum was a political concession to the Liberal Democrats.
Why this matters
This shows that the same referendum can be interpreted in two ways:
Democratic interpretation: The public had the final decision over whether an important part of the political system should change.
Political-management interpretation: The referendum was held partly because political parties needed to resolve negotiations between themselves.
This is exactly the kind of paired evaluation Edexcel rewards.
Are referendum results always non-binding?
No.
The 2023 examiner report identifies a common misconception that referendums are necessarily non-binding. Examiners specifically noted that Parliament can make a referendum binding and gave the 2011 AV referendum as an example.
This is important because you should avoid statements such as:
"Referendum results in the UK are only advisory."
That is too absolute.
The relationship between referendums and Parliament also connects to parliamentary sovereignty.
The Scottish independence referendum, 2014
The 2014 referendum asked voters whether Scotland should become an independent country.
The proposal for independence was rejected.
The referendum provides evidence both for and against the use of direct democracy.
Evidence in favour
The vote generated very high levels of political engagement.
Edexcel's 2024 source highlights that 16- and 17-year-olds were able to vote, widening participation beyond the normal Westminster franchise at that time.
The referendum therefore provides evidence that direct democracy can:
involve citizens in major political decisions;
stimulate political discussion;
broaden participation;
encourage political education.
Evidence against
A referendum does not necessarily settle an issue permanently.
The 2023 examiner report noted that stronger students used continuing calls for another Scottish independence referendum to challenge the argument that referendums provide permanent resolutions.
Evaluation
The referendum clearly provided a decision at a particular moment.
However, democratic opinion can change over time.
This means the claim that referendums "settle" political questions must be qualified:
they can produce a clear immediate result without permanently ending political debate.
The EU membership referendum, 2016
The 2016 referendum asked voters whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of or leave the European Union.
The vote resulted in a decision to leave.
This became one of the most significant examples of direct democracy in modern UK political life.
Argument that it strengthened democracy
The issue concerned a major question about the future direction of the UK.
The electorate itself made the decision rather than leaving it entirely to Parliament.
Edexcel's 2024 mark scheme presents EU membership as precisely the kind of major issue for which a referendum can provide a clear public decision and legitimacy.
It also generated substantial political participation.
The 2023 mark scheme identifies the high levels of engagement associated with the 2014 Scottish and 2016 EU referendums as evidence that referendums can motivate voters and provide legitimacy.
Argument that it weakened democracy
Edexcel examination materials also present several criticisms.
The 2024 source argues that:
the referendum was connected to Conservative concerns about UKIP;
it was partly an attempt to deal with political pressure facing the governing party;
the campaign involved disputed claims;
the result was close enough to raise questions about legitimacy for such a significant constitutional decision.
The 2023 mark scheme also notes that the issue remained politically contested after the referendum rather than being permanently resolved.
Evaluation
The EU referendum illustrates both the power and difficulty of direct democracy.
It gave voters direct responsibility for a major political decision, but its aftermath demonstrates that a referendum result does not necessarily eliminate disagreement.
How have referendums affected UK political life?
The specification requires you to consider impact, not simply identify when referendums occurred.
Several important effects can be identified.
Impact 1: major constitutional change
Referendums have been connected to some of the largest constitutional questions faced by the UK since 1997.
These include:
devolution;
Northern Ireland's political settlement;
electoral reform;
Scottish independence;
EU membership.
This means referendums have become particularly important when political decisions concern the basic organisation or future direction of the state.
The connection between referendums and constitutional change will become especially useful when studying constitutional reform since 2010.
Impact 2: increased political participation
Referendums can encourage people to participate directly in political decision-making between general elections.
Edexcel's 2024 mark scheme identifies increased political activity and participation as a major argument in their favour. It specifically highlights the involvement of younger voters in Scotland.
This matters because your earlier study of democratic participation and reform includes concerns about a participation crisis.
Referendums can therefore be presented as a possible response to low political engagement.
Evaluation
Participation varies between referendums.
It would therefore be inaccurate to argue that holding a referendum automatically produces high engagement.
The stronger claim is:
some major referendums have demonstrated the capacity of direct democracy to generate substantial political participation.
Impact 3: political education
Referendum campaigns can focus public attention on a single major political question.
Campaigns can encourage voters to consider:
competing political arguments;
constitutional arrangements;
alternative political outcomes.
The 2024 Edexcel mark scheme identifies political education and increased public interest as benefits of referendums.
Evaluation
The quality of political education depends on the campaign.
The 2024 source also raises concerns about disputed or misleading campaign claims.
Referendums can therefore stimulate political learning, but increased information does not guarantee that all information presented to voters will be reliable or uncontested.
Impact 4: legitimacy
Legitimacy refers to the rightful use of political power based on accepted democratic criteria.
Pearson's glossary identifies democratic election as an example of how political authority acquires legitimacy.
Referendums can give major political changes direct popular approval.
This is particularly important where:
constitutional arrangements are changing;
Parliament itself is divided;
the issue may affect the political system for many years.
The 2024 mark scheme argues that referendum decisions can gain legitimacy precisely because they are made by the public rather than politicians alone.
Evaluation
A referendum does not automatically provide overwhelming legitimacy.
Questions may arise where:
turnout is limited;
the result is extremely close;
the political question remains heavily contested.
The Welsh devolution referendum and EU referendum have both been used in Edexcel materials to illustrate these concerns.
Impact 5: resolving difficult political questions
Referendums can provide a clear mechanism when politicians or parties cannot agree.
The electorate is presented with alternatives and produces an identifiable result.
Edexcel's 2023 and 2024 mark schemes identify both EU membership and Scottish independence as examples of questions for which a referendum could provide a direct decision.
Evaluation
There is a major distinction between:
deciding a question, and
ending disagreement about that question.
The Scottish independence and EU referendums produced clear outcomes, but political debate continued afterwards.
Referendums may therefore resolve the immediate decision without permanently resolving the underlying political conflict.
Impact 6: political party management
One of the strongest criticisms is that governments may call referendums for party-political reasons rather than purely democratic ones.
Edexcel materials give several examples.
AV referendum
The 2011 referendum can be interpreted as part of the agreement needed to form the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
EU referendum
The 2024 Edexcel source and mark scheme present the argument that Conservative concerns about internal divisions and the electoral threat from UKIP influenced the decision to hold the referendum.
Devolution
The same source presents the argument that Labour's support for devolution also had party-political advantages in areas such as Scotland.
Evaluation
The fact that political parties may benefit from a referendum does not automatically mean that the referendum itself is undemocratic.
The key question is whether political motivation outweighs the democratic value of allowing voters to decide.
The case FOR referendums
1. Referendums strengthen direct democracy
A representative democracy normally allows politicians to make decisions on behalf of citizens.
Referendums temporarily transfer that decision directly to the electorate.
This can be particularly valuable for major constitutional questions that may extend beyond ordinary party politics.
Evaluation: Direct public decision-making can strengthen democracy, but frequent referendums could weaken the purpose of electing representatives to exercise political judgement.
2. They can increase participation
Referendums provide an additional opportunity for political participation between elections.
The 2014 Scottish independence and 2016 EU referendums are used in Edexcel materials as evidence of substantial public engagement.
The Scottish referendum also widened participation by allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote.
Evaluation: This is strongest as an argument when the issue genuinely engages the electorate. A referendum itself does not guarantee participation.
3. They provide legitimacy for major decisions
A major constitutional reform approved directly by voters may possess stronger democratic legitimacy than one imposed exclusively through Parliament.
This argument is especially relevant to:
devolution;
Scottish independence;
EU membership.
Evaluation: Legitimacy depends not only on whether a vote occurs but also on participation and the size and clarity of the result.
A narrow victory may create less widespread acceptance than an overwhelming one.
4. They can resolve political disputes
Some questions produce deep disagreements between and within political parties.
A referendum can move the issue out of Parliament and allow citizens to decide.
Evaluation: Referendums produce decisions, but the experiences of Scotland and the EU show that political arguments may continue afterwards.
5. They can educate and engage voters
A referendum campaign can create national debate around an important issue.
Edexcel's 2024 mark scheme identifies increased political understanding and education as an advantage.
Evaluation: Political debate may increase knowledge, but contested campaign claims can also create confusion.
Political education should therefore be treated as a potential rather than guaranteed consequence.
6. They can limit the power of politicians
Referendums prevent elected representatives from having exclusive control over particularly important decisions.
This can act as a democratic check where politicians might otherwise make constitutional decisions without direct approval from citizens.
Evaluation: Representative democracy exists partly because elected politicians are expected to examine complex information and exercise judgement. Removing responsibility from representatives may therefore also be criticised.
The case AGAINST referendums
1. Governments control when referendums are called
Referendums are not simply generated automatically whenever an important political question arises.
Governments and political parties can have their own reasons for deciding to hold them.
The 2024 Edexcel source strongly develops this criticism, linking referendums to:
Labour's political interests;
coalition negotiations in 2010;
Conservative divisions and concern about UKIP before the EU referendum.
Evaluation: Political motivation does not remove voters' ability to make the final choice, but it raises a question about who controls the referendum agenda.
2. They can produce narrow mandates for major change
A simple winning majority may decide a constitutionally significant question.
The Welsh devolution result provides an example used by Edexcel to question whether very narrow outcomes necessarily provide strong legitimacy.
The 2024 examination source makes a similar argument about the closeness of the EU referendum result.
Evaluation: Requiring a larger threshold could increase legitimacy, but it would also mean that one side could receive more votes and still lose the referendum.
3. They may fail to settle disputes
One justification for referendums is that they resolve difficult issues.
Yet political disputes can continue after the vote.
Edexcel identifies:
continued arguments following the 2016 EU referendum;
renewed demands for another Scottish independence referendum
as evidence against the idea that referendums necessarily provide permanent resolution.
Evaluation: No democratic election settles political questions forever. Public opinion and political circumstances can change.
The relevant question is therefore whether referendums provide a sufficiently authoritative decision at the time they are held.
4. Campaigns may oversimplify complex issues
A referendum commonly asks voters to choose between a limited number of options on an issue that may be extremely complicated.
This can reduce a complex constitutional or political problem to a simple choice.
The 2024 examination source also highlights concerns about disputed claims during referendum campaigning.
Evaluation: General elections also require voters to choose between competing political packages and campaign claims.
Complexity is therefore a challenge for democratic politics more broadly, although it can be particularly significant where one referendum makes a long-term constitutional choice.
5. They can weaken representative democracy
Under representative democracy, citizens elect politicians to exercise political judgement.
Frequent referendums could undermine this principle by transferring difficult decisions away from Parliament.
This tension was explicitly examined in the 2021 Edexcel paper, which considered whether MPs should be free to depart from referendum outcomes where circumstances or judgement change.
This also links to parliamentary sovereignty.
Evaluation: Referendums can instead be viewed as supplementing representative democracy rather than replacing it. The UK remains fundamentally representative even when occasional decisions are put directly to voters.
6. They can create tension with parliamentary sovereignty
The UK Constitution is based partly on parliamentary sovereignty.
Referendums create an important political tension because the electorate may give a direct instruction on an issue that Parliament would normally decide.
The 2023 examiner report praised stronger students who explored this relationship when answering questions about referendums.
Referendum outcomes can therefore possess enormous political authority even within a system where Parliament remains constitutionally central.
Evaluation: This can be interpreted positively as a democratic check on Parliament, or negatively as uncertainty over where political authority should ultimately lie.
Referendums and representative democracy compared
Argument that referendums strengthen democracy | Argument that referendums weaken democracy |
Introduce direct democracy into a representative system | Can bypass elected representatives |
Increase participation between elections | Turnout and engagement are not always guaranteed |
Give major constitutional change public legitimacy | Narrow results may provide weak mandates |
Can resolve difficult political disputes | Issues can remain contested afterwards |
Encourage political debate and education | Campaigns can involve contested or misleading claims |
Allow voters to check political elites | Governments decide when referendums are offered |
Can broaden participation | Can be called partly for party-political advantage |
Are referendums compatible with representative democracy?
This is ultimately the central evaluative question.
Referendums and representative democracy do not have to be complete opposites.
A political system can remain predominantly representative while using occasional referendums for particularly significant decisions.
A strong defence of this approach would argue:
representatives continue to make the overwhelming majority of political decisions;
referendums are reserved for especially important questions;
citizens receive direct control when fundamental constitutional issues arise;
this can strengthen legitimacy rather than replace Parliament.
The opposing argument is that selective use creates its own problems:
politicians choose which questions voters are allowed to decide;
governments may use referendums for political advantage;
difficult policy questions may be reduced to simple alternatives;
referendum outcomes can create conflict with representative judgement and parliamentary authority.
Overall assessment
The strongest case for referendums is based on participation, legitimacy and direct public involvement in major constitutional decisions.
The strongest case against them is based on political manipulation, narrow mandates and the possibility that they fail to resolve complex or divisive issues.
A strong overall judgement might therefore be:
Referendums are most defensible as an occasional supplement to representative democracy on major constitutional questions, particularly where direct public approval can add legitimacy. Their democratic value becomes weaker when they are called primarily to solve party-political problems or when a narrow result is expected to provide a permanent settlement to a deeply divided issue.
This is stronger than claiming that referendums are always democratic or always damaging.
The next lesson, electoral system consequences, brings together the wider effects of electoral arrangements on representation, voter choice and government formation.
The definitions of direct democracy, representative democracy and legitimacy are set out in Pearson's specification glossary.
Hints from the Examiner Reports 💡
Examiner hint: Structure referendum essays by themes, not by referendum. In 2023, stronger responses organised arguments around issues such as participation, political education and whether referendums resolve disputes. Weaker responses often wrote separate sections on the EU, Scottish independence and AV referendums, which tended to become descriptive.
Examiner hint: Examples should support an argument rather than replace it. Examiners found that some students provided large amounts of detail about Brexit or devolution but failed to explain what this showed about the advantages or disadvantages of referendums themselves.
Examiner hint: Use a range of evidence. The 2023 report found heavy dependence on the 2014 Scottish and 2016 EU referendums in weaker responses. Strong answers could also use examples such as the Northern Ireland referendum and AV.
Examiner hint: Pair your arguments. For example, compare the claim that referendums settle difficult issues directly with evidence that Scottish independence and EU membership remained politically contested afterwards.
Examiner hint: Do not state that UK referendums can never be binding. The 2023 examiner report identified this as a common misconception and specifically noted that Parliament can make a referendum binding, as occurred with the 2011 AV referendum.
Examiner hint: Consider both sides in a balanced way while maintaining a clear line of argument. Examiners found some 2023 answers were heavily weighted towards the disadvantages of referendums, limiting their performance.
Examiner hint: High-level evaluation tests the validity of the argument. Do not just say that participation is an advantage. Ask whether participation was actually substantial, whether it gave the result greater legitimacy and whether that advantage outweighs problems such as continued political division.
Common Mistakes ⚠️
Mistake: Writing a chronological history of referendums
Why this is incorrect: The specification requires evaluation of their impact and the case for and against their use, not simply knowledge of dates and results.
How to improve:
Structure extended answers around themes such as:
participation;
legitimacy;
resolving disputes;
political education;
party management.
Then use different referendums as evidence.
Mistake: Discussing the consequences of Brexit instead of the consequences of the referendum
Why this is incorrect: The question may be about whether referendums are advantageous or democratic, not whether leaving the EU itself was good or bad.
The 2023 examiner report specifically found students drifting into the consequences of Brexit or devolution rather than evaluating the referendum mechanism.
How to improve: Keep asking:
"What does this example demonstrate about using a referendum?"
Mistake: Saying referendums always settle political disputes
Why this is incorrect: The 2014 Scottish independence and 2016 EU examples demonstrate that political disagreement can continue after the result.
How to improve: Distinguish between producing an immediate decision and creating a permanent political settlement.
Mistake: Claiming referendums are automatically legitimate
Why this is incorrect: A close result or limited participation may create arguments about the strength of the mandate.
How to improve:
Evaluate legitimacy using factors such as:
turnout;
margin of victory;
significance of the decision;
continuing acceptance of the result.
Mistake: Saying referendums are always non-binding
Why this is incorrect: The 2023 examiner report states that Parliament can make a referendum binding and identifies the AV referendum as an example.
How to improve: Avoid absolute statements. Explain that the status of a referendum depends on the arrangements made for that particular vote.
Mistake: Assuming political motivation automatically makes a referendum undemocratic
Why this is incorrect: A government may have strategic reasons for calling a referendum while voters still make the eventual decision.
How to improve:
Evaluate both stages:
Why was the referendum called?
Did giving citizens the final choice nevertheless strengthen democracy?
Mistake: Giving all evaluation in the conclusion
Why this is incorrect: Edexcel rewards sustained AO3 judgement.
How to improve: End each main paragraph by deciding which side of that particular comparison is stronger and why.
Exam-Style Questions ✍️
Question 1
Define direct democracy. (1 mark)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Answer: A form of democracy in which individuals make political choices themselves rather than through representatives acting on their behalf.
Question 2
Identify two issues on which referendums have been held in the UK since 1997. (2 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Answer:
Any two appropriate examples, such as:
devolution;
the Good Friday Agreement;
changing the Westminster electoral system;
Scottish independence;
EU membership.
Award 1 mark for each accurate example.
Question 3
Explain one way in which a referendum can increase democratic legitimacy. (4 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Indicative mark scheme:
A referendum allows citizens themselves to decide an issue.
This provides direct public approval for the resulting decision.
It can be particularly significant for major constitutional changes.
The decision can therefore have greater democratic legitimacy than one made by politicians alone.
Question 4
Explain one reason why a referendum might fail to settle a political dispute permanently. (4 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Indicative mark scheme:
A referendum records public opinion at a particular point in time.
Political opinions and circumstances can subsequently change.
The Scottish independence issue continued after the 2014 result, with demands for another referendum.
Therefore, a referendum can provide an immediate decision without permanently ending debate.
Question 5
Study the following fictional referendum results.
Area | Option A | Option B | Turnout |
North | 51% | 49% | 54% |
South | 49% | 51% | 82% |
Analyse one difficulty these results might create when claiming that a referendum gives a major constitutional change strong legitimacy. (6 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Indicative mark scheme:
A strong response could explain:
both results are extremely close;
almost half of those voting oppose the winning option in each area;
turnout differs significantly;
a narrow majority may therefore provide a legal or political result without demonstrating overwhelming public agreement;
this may be particularly controversial for a major constitutional decision;
consequently, the democratic legitimacy of the change could remain contested.
Question 6
Explain two ways in which governments may use referendums for purposes other than simply increasing democratic participation. (6 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Indicative mark scheme:
Possible developed answers include:
Party management
A referendum may help resolve divisions within or between political parties.
Edexcel materials connect the 2011 AV referendum with coalition negotiations and the EU referendum with Conservative political pressures.
Political popularity
A government may support a referendum because it expects the outcome to reinforce its political position or popularity.
This can mean that the decision to hold the vote is partly strategic rather than solely designed to widen participation.
Question 7
Read the following source.
Supporters of referendums argue that elected politicians should not have exclusive control over major constitutional decisions. Giving voters the final choice can increase participation, educate citizens and provide direct legitimacy for changes that may affect the country for generations.Critics argue that referendums are offered only when political leaders decide to hold them. Governments may use them to resolve party divisions, and a narrow majority may make a permanent constitutional choice despite substantial opposition. Even after the result, the political dispute may continue.
Using the source, evaluate the view that referendums strengthen representative democracy.
In your response you must:
compare and contrast the different opinions in the source;
examine and debate these views in a balanced way;
analyse and evaluate the information presented in the source.
(30 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
Indicative mark scheme:
A strong answer could develop three paired debates.
1. Participation versus government control
Referendums give citizens direct involvement between elections.
However, governments normally determine which issues reach a referendum.
Judgement should assess whether voter control over the result outweighs political control over the agenda.
2. Legitimacy versus narrow mandates
Public approval can legitimise major constitutional change.
However, a close result may leave a large minority opposed.
Judgement should consider whether a simple victory is sufficient for fundamental constitutional change.
3. Resolution versus continued division
Referendums can produce a clear answer where politicians are divided.
However, Scotland and EU membership demonstrate that disputes can continue.
Judgement should distinguish an immediate decision from a lasting political settlement.
For higher-level evaluation, maintain a consistent argument about whether referendums supplement or undermine representative democracy.
Question 8
Evaluate the view that referendums held in the UK since 1997 have brought more advantages than disadvantages. (30 marks)
reveal mark scheme and indicative content
You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way.
Indicative mark scheme:
Arguments that the advantages are greater may include:
referendums provide direct democratic participation;
they give major constitutional changes public legitimacy;
they can increase political engagement;
referendum campaigns can encourage political education;
they allow difficult issues to be decided by the electorate;
devolution referendums gave direct public approval to new political institutions;
the Northern Ireland referendum supported a major political settlement;
the 2014 Scottish and 2016 EU referendums demonstrated substantial political engagement.
Arguments that the disadvantages are greater may include:
governments choose when referendums are held;
party-political interests may influence the decision to call them;
narrow results may create questions about legitimacy;
referendum campaigns can contain contested claims;
highly complex issues may be reduced to simple choices;
Scottish independence and EU membership remained contested after referendum results;
referendums can create tensions with representative democracy and parliamentary sovereignty.
For a strong judgement: organise the answer thematically rather than taking each referendum in turn. The strongest case for referendums concerns direct participation and legitimacy, while the strongest criticism concerns political manipulation and their limited ability to provide lasting settlements. A convincing conclusion should decide which effects have been more significant and explain the criterion used to reach that judgement.
Comments