The perils of referendums: A review

Abstract

This article reviews the Constitution Unit’s Interim Report of the Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland. After placing referendums in the context of political history and theory, the paper critically analyses the report’s discussion of when a referendum is likely to be called. Following this, the paper reviews the Constitution Unit’s analysis of the rules regulating these referendums. It is concluded that the report provides an exemplary starting point for future discussions. There are gaps, however. For example, the report says virtually nothing about online campaigning. This is especially puzzling as research has shown that online campaigning (through social media) contrib-uted to disinformation in previous referendums in Britain. Both Ireland and the United Kingdom should follow the lead of Estonia, Iceland, Latvia and Portugal, and introduce restrictions on social media campaigning—or, explain why not.