The problem with a referendum is that people have an unfortunate tendency to vote for something that appeals to their emotions but turns out to be a bad idea in reality which doesn't do what they wanted, because this was never possible. One recent example springs to mind... 😞
Which is why we have elected governments, the idea being that they wouldn't do anything so stupid because they understand the real issues and facts instead of just appealing to populist instincts. Though it has to be said that this hasn't been going so well in recent years either... 😉