David.......notice the Lords's own use of the word "constitution" throughout the 210 pages".....and their views on just what are referendums and how they impact Parliament's decisions. Interesting that this study was done in 2009/2010.....long before Leave....
"The Select Committee on the Constitution" House of Lords.....
http://www.publications.parliament.u...onst/99/99.pdf
Titled "Referendums in the United Kingdom" 12th Session 2009/2010
Many on the Leave side should have intently read this....well worth the reading of 210 pages of "legalese"...........
One interesting comment the study noted was "while referendums maybe viewed as critical to change a particular situation...they may not in the end decisively resolve the situation for years to come'
Sound like the results of the "leave vote"???
Another interesting question they raised was....."where does the sovereignty actually lie.....within Parliament or with the People"???
Second interesting point was and if one reads between the lines....the hundreds of years of a functioning Parliament has in fact built a substantial body of an unwritten "Constitution" and how does a referendum affect that body of an unwritten "Constitution". They often referred to things that needed to be decided in the absence of a "written Constitution"...
This referendum was run under the concept and you heard it repeated literally for hours and days out of UK..."the People have spoken" but did they? As the current UK "sovereignty" still lies within Parliament.
I can see it slowly coming....what if the SNP MPs pull out the devolution agreements tied to the EU as being the basis of an independence vote....WHAT they if they are joined by a large majority of MPs from both parties as many of them have not been for Leave and they vote to Remain over the heads of those that voted to Leave....using the argument they are defending the UK from great damage...
Actually fully legal.....as the sovereignty of the UK lies within Parliament not the People....
That is why there should have been the 2/3rds clause added to the ballot thus the referendum can be seen as "simply advisor in nature to Parliament.
BTW...refer to Page 77..then continues on...quite interesting if one readings it correctly...."Referendums are one of the few ways in which under our "constitutional" settlement Acts of Parliament can be entrenched"..
WHY is it important "then referendums can be/must be able to be repealed by Parliament....."
Notice the Leave camp never talked about this study did they....with good reason... I would not as well if I were them......
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