Dumbing down.

One concern sometimes expressed about the referendum process is that complex issues are reduced to a simple yes or no.

It is true that in the majority of referendums there is only a choice of being for or against a proposal, but on the other hand Parliamentary decisions are also made because MP's vote for or against a proposal. However, what the critics mean is that the opinion-forming process in direct decision-making ceases more rapidly than in parliamentary decision-making.

The Swiss experience has been that in the case of citizens' initiatives, where there is a resolve to address certain issues, people often join in coalitions to advance their aims. There is lively debate within such coalitions before they come up with the actual words of a proposal. When the proposal reaches Parliament, Parliament debates the issue and often comes up with counter proposals. Knowing that the original proposal can be put to referendum makes Parliament less likely to push their own line and more likely to seek a compromise proposal. A number of issues never make it to referendum as Parliament's counter proposals are accepted by the initiative proposers. In short, there is a lot of debate before the core of the issue is put into a referendum question.