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The Hansard Society held a debate on "Referendums: What are they good for?" at the House of Commons on Tuesday 17 June 2008 http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blogs/recent_events/archive/2008/06/18/referendum.aspx
http://lordsoftheblog.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/referendum-debate/

The report says that for Independent MP Clare Short referendums are an essential tool to be used to help reinvigorate an alienated public dissatisfied with current political arrangements that they often feel are damaging British democracy. She highlighted examples like the Iraq War protests to illustrate that people believe that they no longer have a voice that political elites listen to. A referendum could possibly be a way of reconnecting the public with important political debates.


Revised September 2009