Referendums Quotes - Page 2

• 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

  Men, People, Tradition

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• 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

  Home, Exercise, Finding Yourself

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• Should National Security Issues be decided by a Local Referendum?

  Arun Jaitley

  Issues, Should, National Security

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• 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

  Wall, War, Government

  Source: time.com

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• 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

  New York, Cities, Tree

  Learned Hand (1959). “The Spirit of Liberty: Papers and Addresses”

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• 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

  Wall, War, Writing

  Source: www.mirror.co.uk

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• 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

  Thinking, Track, Community

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• 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

  Names, People, Voting

  Source: www.cpa-connecticut.com

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• 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

  Ukraine, Looks, Imf

  Source: www.counterpunch.org

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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

  Calling, Constitution, Good Things

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• 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

  Doors, Bait, Lobster

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• 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

  People, Political, Determined

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• 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

  Character, Watches, Politics

  Will Rogers (1978). “Will Rogers' Daily Telegrams: The Coolidge years, 1926-1929”, Will Rogers Heritage Trust

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• 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

  Beautiful, Dream, Wish

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• 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

  Commitment, Europe, Outcomes

  Source: www.businessinsider.com

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• 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

  Thinking, Issues, Offering

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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• 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

  Winning, Political, Important

  Source: www.businessinsider.com

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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

  Matter, Scream, Politician

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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• 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

  Leader, Reform, Negotiation

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• 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

  Destiny, Thinking, People

  "EU referendum: Michael Gove on BBC's Question Time EU Special - as it happened". www.theguardian.com. June 15, 2016.

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• 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

  Opportunity, Political, Complicated

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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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

  Two, Canada, Program

  Source: aqi.quebec

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• Boris [Johnson] and Dave [Cameron] gnawed each other's testicles [during the Tory civil war which blighted the EU referendum].

  Ken Livingstone

  War, Dave, Testicles

  Source: www.mirror.co.uk

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• 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

  Fighting, Class, Organization

  Source: pennpoliticalreview.org

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• 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

  Country, Cutting, Government

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