ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the implications of the greater use of referendums for political engagement and education in Britain. It provides a historical review of the theory of political participation will be conducted in order to explore the role of the citizenry in the democratic process, the educative potential of political engagement, and the contribution participation can make to a flourishing society. The chapter explains the role of the referendum as a distinct democratic device will be considered as both a potential opportunity and a potential threat to effective democratic participation and deliberation. It presents two examples from the UK will be examined to assess how the different theoretical positions may manifest in practice, using, inter alia, evidence from the Hansard Society’s audits of political engagement. The chapter examines what future role the referendum might play in the British political system, and the potential for a greater focus on deliberative participation within a context of fluctuating voting trends and wider political.
