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populist free votes and referenda *are* the antithesis of parliamentary democracy.
I think free votes and referenda are a bad idea all around.
Free votes in the parliament render the Supreme Court impotent. For example, Gay Marriage. A free vote in the parliament would likely end up against Gay Marriage. This would fly in the face of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which was set up to protect Minority Rights in the face of Majority rules politics.
Referenda reduce a complex issue (pick pretty much any issue) and reduce it to a binary opposition (yes or no). The whole point of parliament is to have informed representatives research and debate a subject so that all sides can be studied and voted on in the House of Commons.
I agree that in a Majority position the PM and his cabinet have the strongest position in the western world. They can enact pretty much any law and make it happen. This is why I would like to see proportional representation. I think we should always have Minority or Coalition Goverments.
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
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