Press column: Why populist politicians favour the dangerous appeal of referendums

Read Alex’s latest column in the Christchurch Press: 
Why populist politicians favour the dangerous appeal of referendums

“In the vast majority of cases, our system of representative democracy serves us well and doesn’t need to be supplemented with binding referendums. We choose MPs to represent us and make wise decisions on our behalf. They’re supported by a public service that provides expertise, there’s a process for public participation, and every three years we get to hold them to account. This allows complex issues to be judged carefully, compromises and amendments to be hammered out, and trade-offs to be made.

“No, the system isn’t perfect, but the best response is to improve it, not to replace it with majority votes on simplified questions. “