Suchergebnisse

The article discusses the unpopularity of referenda in Australia and Western Europe. The author thus anticipates a negative outcome in an upcoming Australian referendum that proposes dropping the Queen of England as the titular head of state. The article lists the reasons why mandatory referenda are perennially unpopular with voters, including the electorate's conservatism and resentment at being forced to visit a polling place on a Saturday. The author observes that in the European Union (EU), in those countries where referenda are mandatory on important issues, lawmakers often simply repeat these measures until the desired outcome is realized. Though democratic, referenda only describe the electorate's opinion on a particular day, which is not the same thing as the actual consensus. The author then describes his purely economic reasons for supporting the British monarchy's official place in Australia. Adapted from the source document.