Referendums and Nationalism

The recent referendums regarding voting systems, Scottish independence and "Brexit" have truly let the curse of excessive nationalism out of the bag. We live in a parliamentary democracy but our politicians have been too weak to make the decisions regarding our constitution. They have absolved themselves of responsibility and now they are reaping the bad harvests sown from the seeds of plebiscites. Any referendum which ends up with an almost a half and half result is bound to create division when only two thirds of the electorate bother to vote. These divisions are not easily mended; friendships and families have been wrested apart.

It is better if we run our country without referendums. Parliament should decide. For major constitutional change there should be a two thirds majority in Parliament - just like the USA and other sensibly run democracies. This would stop division.

In Australia they do have referendums for constitutional change, such as when they wanted to decide whether the country was to become a republic or not. Everyone in Australia is obliged to vote so a referendum could be carried by a simple majority. However, a referendum must be carried in at least four of the six states before the the status quo can be changed. Most referendums therefore fail to change the status quo. There is no whinging if a simply majority fails to carry a referendum and there is therefore not much division in society - everybody gets on with their life.

Under the terms of the Australian referendum system "Brexit" would have failed. Our referendum result did not achieve a majority of electors registered to vote or a majority of the nations comprising the UK. Now we have real and possibly dangerous division facing our nation.

In the case where a nation votes in a referendum to gain independence there should be either a two thirds majority or a simple majority where everyone is legally obliged to vote. This way, for Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales  there could be no doubt of the intentions of the nation's voters: there would be less of a chance of division.

Scotland and Northern Ireland both voted to stay in the EU under a simple first past the post system and England and Wales voted to leave.  We have no idea of the opinions that are held by the twenty five percent of the electorate who did not vote in the "EU" referendum. They might have been of the opinion that it was best left to Parliament to decide.

Is it any wonder that there is division and that now Scotland might vote to leave the UK. Is it any wonder that there is now pressure for a border poll in Northern Ireland. How will these two nations be kept on side by England and Wales during the "Brexit" negotiations? How are the conflicting views of Leave and Remain to be resolved?

Disturbingly we are now seeing a rise of English nationalism which was subsumed into a form of British patriotism. The UK was dominated by the English who expected Scotland and Northern Ireland to fall into line; this is no longer the case. We have set up a dangerous precedent with our simple referendum system; so that the nationalists everywhere will expect that a simple majority will prevail - "the tyranny of the majority". Hopefully this will not mean a return to violence in Northern Ireland.

It is likely that "Brexit" negotiations will not meet the expectations of any of the voters of the referendum. Possibly the government will have to settle for membership of the single market to assuage the populations of both Northern Ireland, Scotland and even Wales. Possibly our great British nations will become poorer, more badly governed, and more divided.  How will the "English nationalists" feel about that? The cat has been let out of the bag. I can see Scotland becoming independent within twenty years; the issue will not go away now. Neither will the issue of a border poll for Ireland.

Leave voters may get more they they bargained for and they may come to regret that their referendum result was carried by a simple majority of voters and not the whole of the electorate.

For a long time the English have argued against nationalism but they may come to regret that a significant proportion of their own population has become enamoured in the same way as the Scottish nationalists have.

How did we get to this mess?