How long should a referendum be binding for?

I have decided to desert my thread, it is now in the hands of those refighting the war.

I was hoping for a dispassionate discussion about how long the results of a referendum, any referendum, should be homoured by the government, given that a Parliamentary mandate only last 5 years. In Scotland it seems to be 10 minutes, in Britain, it seems as long as the participants, on both sites stop infighting.

From the map, it looks like it was the east of England which carried the day - no coincidence that that is also the Reform stronghold.

Mojack26

It was so devisive! The density% of population live in southern England so wanted and believed in Brexit,red bus etc....🤣 everyone in north could see through this lie but.it..did'nt matter,smaller population less votes! Brexit should never have happened.....now a lot that voted yes are regretting it but wejust have to get on with it!

Much as I love that idea as a remain Northerner Mojack26 looking at the chart, I’m not sure it’s right.

The result of the Referendum to leave the EU back in 2016 has never been fully implemented, that has been the problem ever since. Someone should be made accountable for the betrayal of the majority of the British people.

Maybe because they didn’t consider a 1,000,000 difference small?

It still means that 1,000,000+ more voters got out of their chairs, put down their devices and went to vote for what they wanted.
I resent the CBB contribution to Brexit more than anything.
However, if Remain had won, do I believe that I, or any of those on GN, who unceasingly point out how small the majority was would have had the honesty and courage to stand up and say how unfair it was because they’d only won by 1,000,000.

No.

But that’s as unprovable as saying if 16 year olds had been allowed to vote, the result would have been different.

It was so devisive! The density% of population live in southern England so wanted and believed in Brexit,red bus etc....🤣 everyone in north could see through this lie but.it..did'nt matter,smaller population less votes! Brexit should never have happened.....now a lot that voted yes are regretting it but wejust have to get on with it!

sundowngirl

"why we left the EU with such a small majority to leave."

you wouldn't have called it a small majority if remain had won

Why wouldn't remainers have called a slim referendum majority in their favour small?

It was a small majority, however you look at it. One might ask why Brexiteers did not have the honesty and courage to admit that they got over the line in the referendum, with a very slight majority. They might have got a much better Brexit deal and been able to attain much more national unity, if they had.

sundowngirl

"why we left the EU with such a small majority to leave."

you wouldn't have called it a small majority if remain had won

you wouldn't have called it a small majority if remain had won

Unfortunately, it would have been an equally small majority had we voted to remain, as I did.

The outcome does not alter the principle.

I personally would not have felt comfortable with such a small majority.

I doubt Farage would have been happy with that either, during the campaign he suggested that a second referendum should be considered - should the Brexit campaign be unsuccessful if the result were closer... 52/48.

The referendum was not legally binding, BUT the political reality is that the government had to respect the result. As Cameron said he would. He could have decided to ignore the 'will of the people' and put the question to MPs, but chose to abide by the result, step down, and - allegedly - hum a little tune to himself as he metaphorically rode off into the sunset.

So how long should the result be binding? Until a majority want it overturned. which IMO will be decades down the line. It is not illegal to campaign to re-join. The Daily Mail and other news outlets will, in bold-caps, scream "Betrayal" / "Treachery", but that is simply politic-mongering. We will be in the wilderness for however long it takes, if, indeed, we do ever rejoin.

Kats2

It only became divisive when the remainders lost the vote and started complaining..

Just as, democratically, you are allowed make this country poorer and makr detrimental breaks with our allies others are allowed to point out what you have done to the rest of us!

Lathyrus3

I don’t think referendums are binding?

The Brexit referendum was advisory.

If the results of a referendum are enshrined into law, doesn’t it ‘last’ until those laws are subsequently changed/amended according to the prevailing public opinion?
Isn’t this exactly what has happened here, where the results of the 1975 referendum have been overturned by the 2016 result?

"why we left the EU with such a small majority to leave."

you wouldn't have called it a small majority if remain had won

TiggyW - these are not people who have a right to stay in France. How do you think they arrived in France in the first place, other than by irregular routes? We cannot ‘send them straight back to France’ - they have no right of entry to France. France would simply refuse to take them.

It is not a uniquely British problem as many people seem to think. It is a global issue, facilitated by modern transport, communication etc. We are seeing huge, global movements of people on a scale that the world has never previously experienced.

We can’t solve it by turning back boats in the Channel, and anyone who thinks that Reform has the answer needs to ask their representatives some very hard questions before they put their trust in them.

Mollygo

missdeke

I thought that a parliament was free to legislate for a referendum any time, so technically Starmer's parliament could, if they wanted to, they could call for a referendum any time.

Yes but what would the topic be?
How much, in these straitened times, would it cost to set up and administer.

Not a clue really. I was just answering the original post heading. I know people who want another one on brexit but to be honest I am sick of the sound of the word. And as you say what would be the cost.

Is a referendum legally binding? I thought it was a means of gauging public opinion but not in the same league as a general election.

The government of the time honestly thought that the public would be better informed. I want to know why those MPs who lied to us have not been punished, and why, when the referendum was an advisory only, we left the EU with such a small majority to leave. The government knew it was the worst move for the UK but went ahead which has cost us billions and billions.

Binding until another referendum has a different result. That is the only democratic answer.

Actually it can be either referenda or referendums. Both are acceptable usage according to the dictionary. I did check before I used referendums as I also studied Latin 😂

It’s referenda, not referendums. I always knew that learning Latin would be useful one day! 🤣
We need to work more closely with France to stop illegal immigration, if they’re willing. That shouldn’t mean that we have to rejoin the EU though. I still can’t see what’s wrong with settling in France… No one needs to pay to risk their lives in a small boat when they’re already in a safe country (which is incidentally much bigger than the UK). Any future referenda/elections are going to hinge on immigration, in favour of Reform UK, unless something drastic is done, e.g. sending them straight back to France!!

A generation is considered to be 20 years

I think Cameron was pig headed and was convinced that the result would be to stay and when it wasn't, after putting this massive and complicated decision to the public, he packed his bags and left.

I don't believe Scottish fishermen are "clapping their hands" if you read reports. In fact, fishing is devolved, so making a decision about Scottish fishing grounds without consulting the Scottish government is not on

Well starmer has gone behind our backs and started doing deals without a referendum. Totally disregarded it. No wonder Scottish fisherman are clapping their hands, they never wanted to leave at all.

In response to those saying that a 2-1 vote should be necessary for a referendum :- how many of them are happy that a National Government can be elected on a 1 - 2 vote. Further, the referendum turnout was 72.2%, compared with the 59.9% for the General Election, showing that people were far more engaged with the referendum (on both sides) than with Westminster politics.

5 yearly elections are expensive enough, Referendums even more so and, as others have stated are not legally binding.