[tremon]

Yes, the same thing happened with the NL referendum on the EU constitution. The reason people voted "no" was because they had never been asked before, so this was their first chance to have their voice heard.

That's about the only part of the article I agree with: if you're going to do referendums, then do them regularly. Referenda are only a useful tool if the public feel they really are involved in the process. Otherwise you'll have to answer for every decision that went around them.