Launching their landmark EU referendum report into the conduct of the referendum, "It's Good to Talk: Doing Referendums Differently After the EU Vote," the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) has called for a root and branch review of the role and conduct of referendums in Britain.
"This report shows without a shadow of a doubt just how dire the EU referendum debate really was. There were glaring democratic deficiencies in the run-up to the vote, with the public feeling totally ill-informed," Katie Ghose, Chief Executive of the ERS, told Sputnik.
"Both sides were viewed as highly negative by voters, while the top-down, personality-based nature of the debate failed to address major policies and issues, leaving the public in the dark.
"It offered a stark contrast to the vibrant, well-informed, grassroots conversation of the Scottish independence vote - a referendum that left a lasting legacy of on-going public participation in politics and public life."
A poll for the ERS found that "far too many people felt they were ill-informed about the vote" and that the leading personalities ‘big beast' personalities — including (the) Prime Minister David Cameron, former London mayor Boris Johnson and UKIP leader Nigel Farage - did not appear to engage or convince voters. The polling also shows that voters viewed both sides as increasingly negative as the campaign wore on.
No Decent Debate
A review is now needed to ensure future referendums don't repeat the errors of the EU vote in terms of failing to foster a genuine, informed discussion among the public, the ERS says.
"From a campaign period that was too short to foster a decent debate, to the fact that misleading claims could be made with total impunity, there are so many lessons to be learned — and this report lays out both the facts and the way forward," Ghose told Sputnik.
"Now that the dust is starting to settle after the EU referendum, we need a complete rethink about the role of referendums in the UK. They are becoming more common, but the piecemeal nature of the how, when and why they're done means we could simply end up jumping from referendum to referendum at the whim of politicians.
"It's time for a root and branch review of referendums, learning the lessons of the EU campaign to make sure the mistakes that were made in terms of regulation, tone and conduct are never repeated. Let's make sure that future referendums guarantee the lively and well-informed discussion that voters deserve."
