Scotland: a multi-option survey

We have commissioned TNS (see http://www.tnsglobal.com/uk) to do a public opinion survey on the folowing six options.  This is a summary of the status quo plus the policies of political parties in Scotland, drawn up by this Institute in consultsation with Edinburgh University. 

Status	Powers	Currency	Head of State	EU	NATO
Scotland in UK	Status quo	£	Queen	Yes, as is. Referendum maybe.	Yes
Scotland in UK	Devo-max; full tax raising	£	Queen	UK in/out referendum	Yes
Scotland in UK	Devo-max in federal UK	£	Queen	Yes, as is	Yes
Independent Scotland	Full as possible,  subject to              £		Queen	Yes, asap	Yes, but non-nuke
Independent Scotland	Full as possible,  subject to              €		Queen	Yes, asap	Yes
Independent Scotland	Full	A Scottish currency	Elected president	Yes, asap	No

The results are due in the beginning of August.  Meanwhile, we're trying to raise funds via: 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-six-option-public-opinion-survey-in-scotland/x/7933057  

More news to follow, (we hope).

Total so far:   on the web  -    £720

                        direct          -    £150

                        TOTAL         -    £870

Rosie Hackett

On 20th May, a new bridge was opened in Dublin, a Borda count decision-making process was celebrated, and an article was published: http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/peter-emerson/majoritarianism-beginning-of-end

Crimes in Crimea; dangers in Donetsk...

This article is in the Apr/May edition of Village Magazine; and on 5th May, a more general article appeared in TMS (Transcend Media Srvice) in   https://www.transcend.org/tms/2014/05/referendums-in-ukraine/

Crimea, referendum, The Guardian.

Letter published on 18th Mar.  "The fact that the options presented to the Crimean electorate do not include any 'Ukrainian options' (Two options but only one possible outcome, 15 Mar) means that today's referendum is no more or less democratic than our own AV v FPP referendum, in which there were no proportional representation options.  As in Crimea, so too in the UK the powers-that-be have total control over the choice of ballot. Sadly, international rules on the conduct of referendums do not recommend multi-option voting.  Hence those Crimeans who might otherwise have wished to vote for a compromise, or even just the status quo, [were] not allowed a free choice." 

Crimea, referendum.

The BBC does not (yet) talk about multi-option decision-making.  Here's my latest missive: 

Referendums, a brief history: year, state, question, outcome, consequence.  

1988, Yugoslavia, maintain the state, vetoed by Slovenia, impasse.  

1990, Slovenia, secession, 89% yes, war.  

1991, USSR, maintain the state, 78% yes, the opposite - the break-up of the Soviet Union.  

1991, two ballots, one in Croatia and one in the Krajina, secession and no secession, Orthodox and Catholic boycotts but 93% and 90% yes, war.  

1991, Kosovo, independence, Orthodox boycott but 99% yes, not recognised by EU for 8 years, then war.  

1991 (post-war), Nagorno-Karabakh, independence, Azeris in exile but 99% yes, no peace.  

1992, Bosnia, secession, Orthodox boycott but 99% yes, war.  

1992 (post-war), South Ossetia, independence, yes, more war.  

1999 (post-war), Abhazia, independence, Georgians in exile but 97% yes, no peace.   

2006, two more polls in South Ossetia, the Ossetians boycott one and the Georgians the other, another war.  

Oh and by the way: 

1972, Northern Ireland, the border, Catholic boycott but 97% yes, more 'troubles'.

The referendum is a blunt instrument.  In effect, it often disenfranchises those who might otherwise want to vote for compromise - the Yugoslavs, for example.  It is divisive, that or it exacerbates existing divisions.  It is inconclusive: in Russia - in Chechnya Tatarstan etc, - referendums are not allowed, for such ballots could lead to 'the break-up of the Federation.  (They call it matryoshka nationalism' : just as inside every Russian doll, matryoshka, there is another smaller one; so too, in every majority, there is a minority: UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland, West Belfast, Springmartin, my granny.) 

The question in Crimea does not have to be either/or.  A multi-option referendum could allow for compromise.  Newfoundland had a three-option constitutional ballot in 1949; Singapore also had three in 1962; twenty years later, Guam had six.