The Lingering Shadow of Referenda: Why Divisive Votes Reshape Modern Politics
Referenda have emerged as a defining, yet deeply divisive, tool of modern democracy, leaving lasting scars on national unity from Quebec to the United Kingdom. Following major constitutional contests in 1980 and 1995 in Canada, the 2014 Scottish independence vote, and the 2016 Brexit outcome, political analysts are identifying a pattern of “separation anxiety” that…