- COALITION
- A referendum on replacing first-past-the-post with the alternative vote system was a central feature of the 2010 Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition agreement.
- It also included commitments to referendums on Welsh devolution, directly elected mayors and future EU treaties.
- POLITICAL PRESSURE
- The momentum for a Scottish independence referendum became unstoppable following the SNP’s victory in the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.
- The rise of UKIP and media campaigns for a vote influenced Cameron’s decision to hold an EU referendum. However, governments are unlikely to hold referendums that they believe they will lose, and they have the advantage of controlling the timing of the referendum.
- Governments have also promised referendums — e.g. on joining the euro and approving EU treaties — that, in the end, they did not hold because of a change in circumstances.
- PUTTING PROPOSALS TO THE ELECTORATE
- Some referendums arise from a genuine desire on the part of government to engage or to enthuse the public for a scheme or significant change.
- Governments (or prospective governments, if the referendum is a manifesto commitment) can steer clear of committing to difficult policies which might alienate voters.
- The Labour government consistently promised a referendum prior to adopting the euro — thereby freeing the administration from making a decision either way — and the Conservative Party long pledged a referendum on the UK’s relationship with the European Union before committing to it in 2016.