What is a Referendum?
A referendum is when voters are asked a question by the government and voters are usually are required to vote "Yes" or "No"
to accept or reject that question.They provide a clear answer to a question the government might be 'asking'. Referendums
are conducted in the same way as elections, by using ballot papers on which you mark your choice.
Past Referendums
Referendums are relatively rare in British Politics. The last UK-wide Referendum was in 1975 and asked whether the UK should
stay in the Common Market.
The last referendum in Scotland was held in on 11th Spetember 1997 and was regarding devolution (self governance). The referendum asked whether there should be a Scottish Parliament (74.3% agreed) and whether Scotland
should have tax-varying powers (63.5% agreed). More information can be found on the Scottish Parliament website.
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Future Referendums
EU Referendum
In the 2005 election the UK Government had incidicated that they would hold a referendum on the proposed EU Constitution.
There were further calls during 2007/08 for the UK government to hold a Referendum on the new EU Constitutional (Lisbon) Treaty. In early March 2008, the UK government voted to reject the holding of a national UK Referendum and the Lisbon Treaty wil
be/is subject to a Parliamentary Vote only.
Scottish Referendum
On 14th August 2007, Alex Salmond - First Minister launched a National Conversation to test support for a potential multi-choice Referendum into Scotland's consitutional future. The options for change for
Scotland were laid out in a White Paper which will be debated. The White Paper - "Choosing Scotland's Future" (PDF, 1.5 MB) (Text Version here) sets out what the SNP sees as the three choices for Scots. These are:
- The present devolved set-up;
- Redesigning devolution by extending the powers of the Scottish Parliament in specific areas;
- Or full independence.
The likely timetable should the Scottish Parliament vote and decide to hold a referendum has been indicated to be in 2010.
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Further Information
More general information about Referendums can be found on The Electoral Commission website.
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