These referendum quotes will inspire you. The referendum, general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.
Below you will find a collection of motivating, happy, and encouraging referendum quotes, referendum sayings, and referendum proverbs.
Best Referendum Quotes
- “Maybe this will be the beginning of a trend? Flat taxes, cutting foreign aid, a referendum on Europe, grammar schools. Who knows?” ~ Nigel Farage
- “We have a Conservative leader that believes in green taxes, that won’t bring back grammar schools, that believes in continuing with total open-door migration from eastern Europe and refuses to give us a referendum on the EU.” ~ Nigel Farage
- “How can a governing party propose to its people a referendum that won’t be binding? Is that a serious political programme? No it is not. It’s the final option that will end up with upset, at a dead end, reflecting the last 4 years of the Ibarretxe Plan.” ~ Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
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“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ~ George Orwell
- “My main worry about referendums is that you are taking a very complicated political question that requires knowledge of a bunch of background facts in the social sciences and you’re handing that question to people who don’t know those facts and in fact, are systematically misinformed about them.” ~ Jason Brennan
- “Initiative and referendum make government more responsive to its citizens, neutralize the power of the special interests and stimulate public involvement in state issues.” ~ George W. Bush
- “Referendums are a democratic instrument, but so are decisions reached in a parliamentary democracy. I advise extreme caution when it comes to referendums. In Germany too.” ~ Martin Schulz
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“I am logically in favour of a referendum. It would be the only legitimate way.” ~ Jacques Chirac
- “It is difficult to understand these people who democratically take part in elections and a referendum, but are then incapable of democratically accepting the will of the people.” ~ Jose Saramago
- “We must put behind us the tribalism and divisions seen in the referendum between Leave and Remain and focus on defining our place in the world, healing our wonderful nation and putting core Conservative principles and values into action.” ~ Priti Patel
- “Anyone who is a Palestinian citizen, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, should decide together in a very free referendum. There is no need for war. There is no need for threats or an atom bomb either.” ~ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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“If there are further steps to European integration, the people should have their say at a general election or in a referendum.” ~ Tony Blair
- “When we said that no more areas of power should go to the EU we were right. And now thanks to the European Union Act 2011, by law that cannot happen without a referendum. And we are just as right that the EU has more power in our national life than it should, and I believe as strongly as I ever have that when the right moment comes this party should set out to reduce it.” ~ William Hague
- “Since populists never miss an opportunity to create a lot of noise about anti-Europe stance. However, the repercussions of the British referendum could quickly put a stop to such crass rabble-rousing, as it should soon become clear that the UK was better off inside the EU – economically, socially and in foreign policy terms.” ~ Jean-Claude Juncker
- “Remember the referendum on the Charlottetown constitutional accord? The more Canada’s political and business elites threatened Canadians that the country would disappear into a black hole if the accord weren’t passed, the more Canadians opposed it.” ~ Preston Manning
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“I think referendums are fantastic as long as the question is phrased in a way which is not meant to deliberately confuse or confound people.” ~ Cate Blanchett
- “Boycotting the referendum is a possible option … because we believe that participating in the voting might be a useless act.” ~ Saleh al-Mutlaq
- “If you are a Scot living outside of Scotland but still in the UK, you are not allowed to vote in the referendum. This leaves over a million of loyal, proud Scots disenfranchised. It gives me the rage.” ~ Damian Barr
- “I know it feels like two steps forward and one step back, but we are making progress. In my lifetime, I have lived through one World War, I have lived through the end of Apartheid in South Africa, the pulling down of the Berlin Wall. I have experienced what I never thought I would have experienced, which is a pretty workable peace in Northern Ireland, and I experienced a unified Europe – until the Conservative government got its hands on the idea that in order to appease a few back-benchers they would hold a referendum, what a disastrous idea.” ~ Patrick Stewart
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“A defensive referendum is for avoiding war and to help keep the Taiwanese people free of fear.” ~ Chen Shui-bian
- “We want all the Palestinians back in their homeland, and then there can be a fair referendum for people to choose the form of state they want. Whoever gets the majority can rule.” ~ Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
- “I do a lot of referendums. They can’t talk back. They don’t have wives. They don’t have friends who tell you how to run the campaign. They are supported by special interests, so there’s a lot of money in them.” ~ Roger Stone
- “When historians get to write the truth about this completely unnecessary referendum [Brexit] they won’t say it was a vote demanded by the British people to decide their national destiny. They will say it was the final battle in a decades-long Tory Civil War, at the heart of which was a fight to the death between two Old Etonians, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, for the hollow crown. A sort of Eton Wall Game. Where the poorest are put up against the wall and shot.” ~ Brian Reade
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“The Government have made it clear that the constitutional treaty will be ratified in the UK only after a referendum.” ~ Geoff Hoon
- “I’ve repeated it 100 times and I’m going to look you in the eye, tonight, Mr. Couillard: there will be no referendum as long as Quebecers aren’t ready.” ~ Philippe Couillard
- “When the Canadian confederation took place in 1867, a lot of people in Quebec said, ‘Could we have a referendum?’ They said, ‘Oh, no. In the British tradition, the Parliament can do anything, excluding changing a man into a woman, and, therefore, no referendum’ – and that was that.” ~ Jacques Parizeau
- “If you want a referendum, vote for the others. Or, in certain cases, you can stay at home, you don’t vote and you could find yourself with a referendum by default because you didn’t exercise your vote.” ~ Jean Charest
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“Should National Security Issues be decided by a Local Referendum?” ~ Arun Jaitley
- “We recently had a referendum in New York about extending the forest preserve. The city voted for it by a large majority; yet as I walk the streets I do not see afforestation written with conviction on the harried faces of my fellow citizens.” ~ Learned Hand
- “I have been clear in my position for quite a while, but the Chinese have not responded. Therefore, we are now in the process of holding a referendum on our policy among all the Tibetan community in exile and even inside Tibet, to check whether the majority thinks we are on the right track.” ~ Dalai Lama
- “We could solve this problem of a divided vote, or an unintended consequence of your vote, to a voting system which uses your name, where I am right now, they’ve got it on the ballot for a statewide referendum which enables people to.” ~ Jill Stein
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“In the referendum – which was still decided to take place by the Crimea’s old parliament – the majority of citizens voted for belonging to Russia. This is democracy, the people’s will.” ~ Vladimir Putin
- “Look at Ukraine. Its currency, the hernia, is plunging. The euro is really in a problem. Greece is problematic as to whether it can pay the IMF, which is threatening not to be part of the troika with the European Central Bank and the European Union making more loans to enable Greece to pay the bondholders and the banks. Britain is having a referendum as to whether to withdraw from the European Union, and it looks more and more like it may do so. So the world’s politics are in turmoil.” ~ Michael Hudson
- “Hey, the bait is here. Get in Quebecers, get in the lobster trap, and then we’ll close the door. And you’ll have a referendum no matter what.” ~ Philippe Couillard
- “Funny to watch these Senators switching back and forth on Prohibition. Politics is a great character builder. You have to take a referendum to see what your convictions are for that day.” ~ Will Rogers
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“The good thing about not calling it a Constitution is that no one can ask for a referendum on it.” ~ Giuliano Amato
- “But if one’s dreams having to come true was the only referendum on whether they were beautiful, or worth dreaming, well then, no one would wish for anything. And that would be so much sadder.” ~ David Rakoff
- “Much as I would have liked to respond factually and truthfully to each and every piece of misinformation spread by the Brexit campaign, it was important that I stayed out of the domestic political debate. It was David Cameron’s task to win the UK referendum, not ours.” ~ Jean-Claude Juncker
- “The outcome of the referendum does not affect those of my officials who have British nationality, since they work for Europe and not for the UK. They have made a major contribution to our common European project, and I will continue to count on their talent and commitment.” ~ Jean-Claude Juncker
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“It is a necessary precondition for the success of a referendum that there should be broad community consensus and bipartisan support for it.” ~ George Brandis
- “I have been told by people close to Trump that “Brexit Britain” is the only foreign policy issue that interests him, because he thinks the UK referendum paved the way for him. He hopes to help Britain leave the EU, and possibly to damage the EU, by offering a trade deal.” ~ Anne Applebaum
- “I know there’s an online petition to have another referendum [like Brexit] but I think honestly I think if people want to go for it a little further down the line it would be a hiding for nothing.” ~ Nigel Farage
- “Did we get anything like the sort of reform that would make the EU work better? No. Not even close. And worse, even with the certainty of a UK referendum following the negotiation, it is clear that there was no appetite amongst European leaders for anything more than a few minor concessions.” ~ Andrea Leadsom
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“I find it surprising, however, that many German politicians generally oppose referendums, but then when it’s an EU matter, they immediately scream for a plebiscite.” ~ Martin Schulz
- “Referendums have always posed a threat when it comes to EU policy, because EU policy is complicated. They’re an opportunity for those from all political camps who like to oversimplify things.” ~ Martin Schulz
- “I think that what we have heard from the Remain campaign throughout this whole referendum have been dire warnings of the terrible consequences of the British people just taking control of our own destiny.And, the truth is, if we vote to Leave we will be in an economically stronger position. We will be able to take back some of the money that we currently give to the European Union and we can invest it in our priorities.” ~ Michael Gove
- “After Brexit referendum, our country faces major challenges. Risks to the economy and living standards are growing. The public is split.The government is in disarray. Ministers have made it clear they have no exit plan, but are determined to make working people pay with a new round of cuts and tax rises.” ~ Wes Streeting
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“There were lots of programs over the course of the two referendums and the general tenor of them was that if Quebec were to separate, then Canada would disintegrate.” ~ Jane Jacobs
- “I don’t understand why Italians should be bound to Brussels’s choices without being able to express themselves through a referendum.” ~ Matteo Salvini
- “No two countries are identical, and obviously, there’s a difference between a referendum on a very complex relationship between Great Britain and the rest of Europe, and a presidential election in the United States.” ~ Barack Obama
- “Is it in the interests of Britain to leave or remain in the EU? As we saw in the referendum, there are different Britains and they see their interests in different ways. For a lot of everyday blokes the EU affected their sense of identity in ways they disliked, and they were right in thinking that the EU didn’t return much to them by way of economic benefits.” ~ Dale Jamieson
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“My preoccupation has been from the very beginning that I believe that the “Brexit” referendum result is the most disastrous peacetime result that we’ve seen in Britain.” ~ Michael Heseltine
- “I think that the real tragedy of Greece – aside of the savagery of European bureaucracy, Brussels bureaucracy and northern banks, which was really savage – is that the Greek crisis didn’t have to erupt. It could have been taken care of pretty easily at the very beginning. But it happened and Syriza came into office with a declared commitment to combat it, and in fact as I recall they actually called a referendum, which horrified Europe.” ~ Noam Chomsky
- “I will ensure we honour the instructions the British people have given us. I argued for specific changes in the referendum campaign, I believe in them, I will deliver them.” ~ Michael Gove
- “There is definitely a mood in the party for making sure that two cabinet heavyweights we have got, who come from different traditions, different sides of the EU referendum campaign, Theresa May and Michael Gove – it would be right to put them to the party in the country.” ~ Nicky Morgan
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“If tomorrow morning Brussels should decide to let Turkey in, Italians wouldn’t be free to oppose it, neither in Parliament nor through a referendum. A” ~ Matteo Salvini
- “Policies are designed to undermine working class organization and the reason is not only the unions fight for workers’ rights, but they also have a democratizing effect. These are institutions in which people without power can get together, support one another, learn about the world, try out their ideas, initiate programs, and that is dangerous. That’s like a referendum in Greece. It is dangerous to allow that.” ~ Noam Chomsky
- “Boris [Johnson] and Dave [Cameron] gnawed each other’s testicles [during the Tory civil war which blighted the EU referendum].” ~ Ken Livingstone
- “The people have already determined Chechnya’s status at the referendum – it is a unit of the Russian Federation. Its political status is not to be discussed any more.” ~ Akhmad Kadyrov
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“No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum.” ~ David Cameron
- “There were a number of referendums in ’98 that most of the things I voted for passed. That’s very satisfying when you feel that most of the country is in step with your views.” ~ David Cross
- “Clearly, if it is sensible to hold a referendum on independence, it is crucial that we have one on marriage. It is the only way the country can move forward on this issue. Let all those who have a view on this subject place their trust in the Scottish people and let Scotland decide.” ~ Keith O’Brien
- “However, I must say that I am very happy to see that we have such a positive result for our first referendum in our history and that gives me more confidence in Taiwan’s democracy.” ~ Chen Shui-bian
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“REFERENDUM, n. A law for submission of proposed legislation to a popular vote to learn the nonsensus of public opinion.” ~ Ambrose Bierce
- “If the constitution is not changed, then we will try to bring it down either before the referendum through the law by filing a suit in international or local courts, if we can, challenging the legitimacy of this constitution and the National Assembly.” ~ Saleh al-Mutlaq
