A Comparative Study of Referendums: Government by the People

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Manchester University Press, 2002 - Political Science - 183 pages
In times of heightened national security, scholars and activists from the communities under suspicion often attempt to alert the public to the more complex stories behind the headlines. But when they raise questions about the government, military and police policy, these individuals are routinely shut down and accused of being terrorist sympathisers or apologists for gang culture. In such environments, there is immense pressure to condemn what society at large fears. This collection explains how the expectation to condemn has emerged, tracking it against the normalisation of racism, and explores how writers manage to subvert expectations as part of their commitment to anti-racism.
 

Contents

the referendum as the peoples veto
51
Do referendums stand in the way of salutary reform?
74
Referendums on moral issues
82
Referendums on other issues
88
Is the referendum a constitutional safeguard?
98
two case
126
how the referendum can strengthen
152
Notes
160
Index
179
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About the author (2002)

Professor Matt Qvortrup is Chair of Politics at The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen and an adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of New South Wales, Sydney

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