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A general lesson about politics: Politics cares little about institutions or procedures. It cares for its position. So “don’t go a Referendum” or “the Single Market doesn’t matter” tend to be flexible arguments (short thread).
Let’s start with the latter. In the Brexit debate you hear “leaving the single market is a disaster” from one side, “the single market doesn’t matter” from another. The very same people might very well say the opposite when it comes to Scotland and the single market is the UK’s.
Somewhat to my own surprise it turns out that things are not that different when it comes to referenda. Apparently the 1997 referendum about an assembly in Wales saw the same people who now say referenda are holy vote against its result
The PM apparently changed her own speech after this was pointed out
It is a lesson federalism scholars know well: people yell “federalism” and we think they care about an institutional arrangement. But it turns out that after the next elections they go against federalism. They just wanted a certain result.
As someone who cares about process (probably a deformation that comes from studying law) I am a bit irritated by this. But it is a reality of life.
