Quote Originally Posted by trampie09 View Post
That would be very unfair as it would be too difficult to achieve, I know I pull you up on points of facts all the time, but do you mean 40% of the available votes ? as I think the Scottish referendum of 1979 infamously had the 40% clause and the majority of Scots voted for devolution (51.62%) on a turnout of just under 64% and didn't get it, obviously that had to change.
Its not unfair because Referenda are only called for things of great national importance that seriously alter the status quo and are too big for a bunch of 650 people who happen to be in parliament at the time, to make a decision on.
The high bar is (Or was) deliberate exactly so a vote by 25.2 % of the population couldn't foist something on the other 74.8% who didn't want it.
you make the point yourself, it wasn't the majority of scots who voted for devolution it was 51.6 % of the people who actually voted. That works out at something more than 32% of the population. And that minority making a decision that would affect the majority is exacly what the high bar was intended to prevent. Tony Blair took the % requirement out because he had promised the Welsh Labout Party home rules (Being at the time the assumption that welsh labour votes would ensure the new parliament would be labour controlled.)