Vernon Bogdanor – What Place for the Referendum in the UK? – UCL Constitutional Unit

Posted March 4th, 2013 in news, referendums by sally

“The referendum is an instrument of popular sovereignty, an institutional expression of the doctrine that political sovereignty derives from the people. In Britain, it has been used on a small range of issues, primarily to secure legitimacy. Some matters, especially those which involve a transfer of sovereignty, are so fundamental that the public may not accept a decision made by parliament alone as legitimate. In the 1970s, it has been suggested, Edward Heath took the British establishment into Europe, but it was left to Harold Wilson to bring the British people into Europe. Today, the establishment continues to favour membership, the people do not. That is the basic case for an `in-out’ referendum.”

Video

UCL Constitution Unit, 1st March 2013

Source: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit