Referendums (UK Context)
Popular votes on specific policy or constitutional questions, used in the UK for major decisions like EU membership, devolution, and electoral reform.
Real World
The 2016 Brexit referendum saw 17.4 million people vote Leave — the largest democratic mandate in UK history — yet Parliament spent three years debating how, or whether, to implement it, exposing the tension between referendums and parliamentary sovereignty.
Exam Focus
Always address the sovereignty tension: UK referendums are advisory not legally binding — this distinction is essential for top-band 'analyse' and 'evaluate' answers.
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