How to Lose a Referendum: The Danish Plebiscite on the Euro MADS H. QVORTRUP `The plebiscite', wrote Michael Oake- shott, `is not a method by which ``mass- man'' imposes his choices upon his ru- lers; it is a method for generating a government with unlimited authority to make choices on his behalf. In the plebis- cite ``mass man'' achieved release from the burden of individuality; he was em- phatically told what to choose.' 1 The Danish voters were `emphatically told what to choose' in the referendum on joining the European single currency. However, they did not do as they were told. On 28 September 2000, 53.3 per cent of the Danish voters rejected Danish membership of the euro. The turnout was a stunning 87.8 per cent. The result further weakened the euro and led to a heated debate in other countriesÐnot least in Britain. The outcome of the Dan- ish referendum once again raised the question: would the British electorate follow the Danes whenÐor perhaps ifÐ the issue is put to a vote in the United Kingdom? A warning shot? The unanswered questions in the wake of the Danish referendum are as dicult to answer as they are easy to ask. Why did the Danes vote no? Is there reason to suggest that a referendum in the UK would result in the same outcome? Are there any common denominators in re- ferendums on European issues? The Danish referendum is not neces- sarily a harbinger for things to come in other countries planning referendums on the single currency (i.e. Sweden and the UK). Robert Worcester has recently argued that a British referendum would be won by the `old fashioned leadership from the top by the Prime Minister, the Chancellor, convinced politicians, busi- ness leaders . . . and others in the chatter- ing classes.' 2 Worcester's strategy might have worked in 1975, just as it apparently worked in Denmark in 1972 (the year when Denmark ®rst voted on a `Euro- pean' issue). However, it did not work in Denmark in 2000. The Danish Prime Min- ister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, ®nance minister Mogens Lykketoft and the `chat- tering classes' were all squarely behind the yes. To no avail. They lost by a relatively decisive margin. The Danish constitution (Grundloven) contains several provisions for referen- dums. Constitutional revisions and changes of the voting age must be submitted to the voters (Articles 29 and 88, respectively). Further, a minority of one-third of the members of Parliament (Folketinget) can demand a referendum on laws before they receive royal assent (Article 42), 3 and transfers of sovereignty # The Political Quarterly Publishing Co. Ltd. 2001 Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA 190 Table 1: The Danish referendum on membership of the single european currency % Yes-vote 46.7 No-vote 53.3 Turnout 87.8 Registered voters 3,999,706 Source: Danish Ministry of the Interior.