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Referendum

Two kinds of referendum

We propose the introduction of mandatory confirmation of all major legislation and expenditure by the holding of referenda (on a national, regional and local level). We propose the introduction of facultative referenda on other legislation if a certain number of voters can be mobilised (subject to a quorum)

How not to conduct a referendum

Transport Politicians all over the world are given the impression that the £8 congestion charge that drivers into central London have to pay has been a success. They are keen to emulate this measure and pile another tax onto the already overtaxed citizen.
An extra argument in favour of the London tax is the claim that the citizen's of London had been 'consulted'. We beg to differ as there was no proper legally-binding referendum. A key question that is always overlooked is also the problem of the wider implications of such a charge. The present charge is arbitrary and discriminatory: people inside the zone are not taxed at all, they pay no tax driving through zones that are nearby. Only in a patchwork of arbitrary rules that constitute the so-called 'unwritten' British Constitution is it possible to introduce taxes that are levied only on a certain part of the population. Why is it not possible that areas that surround Inner London levy a tax on those that pass through them on their way into and out of London? Should there not have been separate referenda inside and outside the charging zone and only a clear majority in both votes would have been a signal to introduce the congestion tax? Why not vote on the level of the tax, and what provisions are made on how to repeal the charge when a sufficient number of citizens wants to abolish or change it


When is a referendum representative?

Quite often the outcome of a referendum is decided by a narrow margin. But can one really say, that a majority of 1 or even 3 percentage points is a sufficient mandate for change? And change it always is because otherwise there would not have been the need to hold a referendum. I think that certainly the more important decisions should only be approved with a two-thirds majority. In addition, at least 50 percent of those entitled to vote should have cast their vote?


Why qualifying quorum is necessary part of referendum

Yesterday the Portuguese were given the chance to vote on the introduction of a more liberal abortion regime. 59 percent were in favour and 44 percent of those eligible to vote took part. This means that only about a quarter of all possible voters were actually in favour of the measure. As one can assume that those voters in favour had more motivation to participate in the referendum there is an inherent bias in favour of adoption in most referendum campaigns. In order to counteract this factor is is essential that only those measures that are backed by a qualified majority of the electorate get adopted. A quorum of 50 percent of the electorate and a two-thirds majority in important issues appears reasonable.

More on Referendum

Why you should support
Dirdem:

► Are you angry when people want to control your life?

► Are you angry when people want to live off the fruit of your work?

► Are you angry when people want to tell you what to think?

►If your answer is YES to any or all of the above questions then you should support our Movement.

DIRDEM
is more than a traditional Political Party. We do not see this Cause as a career choice - or stepping stone leading to a lucrative career in the private sector.

DIRDEM
is not a Think Tank that publishes lengthy reports that are only read by a few insiders and later disappear in some library of filing cabinet.

DIRDEM
is not a Lobby or Special Interest Group that tries to gain advantage at the expense of other groups of society.

DIRDEM
is not a Religion or Ideology and does not try to make people believe in something except in the belief that no one should be allowed to rule our lives.
 

Decisions you would be able to influence:

By giving the reader examples of recent policy decisions we highlight the dramatic impact the introduction of Direct Democracy would have on the political life of all countries.

All the following decisions where taken without the participation of the affected citizens. Some - if not most - were highly controversial and have a negative effect for at least some major parts of the country's population.

The present system of government not only leaves the citizens powerless in the face of a never-ending tide of legislation, it also inevitably leads to inefficient use of taxpayer's money and a steady erosion of civil liberties.

See what decisions the citizens could influence directly in a proper democratic system