DALIAN/CHINA, 12SEPT09 – Martin Wolf, Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is an outstanding op-ed from Martin Wolf published in the FT. Wolf reminds us that use of referendums to bypass constraints on executive power has an illiberal history.

Source: Appeals to the popular will threaten parliamentary sovereignty

The evidence of history is clear – populism is often a marker on the way to dictatorship. The end point is the collapse of parliamentary sovereignty and effective democracy, leaving an ugly totalitarian dictatorship.

Surely we need new champions of parliamentary sovereignty?

Thoughts?