Abstract

Referendums are dangerous. For example, if americans had the choice in 2016 to vote for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or 'Blow up the Government' it seems possible (perhaps even likely) that the third/nuclear option would have won. This 'anger vote' is a problem with referendums which range as some scholars suggest 'from the pointless to the dangerous.' And we have seen the problems with referendum raise their head recently in the Brexit vote, Colombia and perhaps even in the US Presidential election. Indeed, the most common critique of referendums are that citizens will vote for more services while also voting to pay less taxes, which, as we saw in California, quickly leads to bankruptcy.

Unions are especially at risk when it comes to referendums, because they, like Brexit, often vote on whether or not they should exist at all. And this Union-Referendum problem appears to be a likely driver in the 60 year demise of unions. More importantly, it seems likely the opponents of unions have long figured this out. Pushed by calls for more 'democratic' fairness, unions are continually subject to plebiscite (direct democracy) votes of confidence – whether to form, disband, pay lower fees etc. And just as referendums destroy governments, they apply directly the same principle to unions. And therefore it seems likely that unions are being destroyed by the well known problems of direct democracy.