An interesting take on Rousseau, who couldn’t realize the complexity of democratic decision-making because it was for the most part unavailable, particularly at the state level. It is hard to see (I can’t, frankly) how the four conditions could ever be met in a this-world setting. For better or — often — worse, we are trapped in a world of people with varying insights, interests, honor, kinds and degrees of knowledge, weaknesses, and so forth. Direct votes on policy seldom turn out well, but there you have it. Mistakes are made; the moving finger write and moves on.
Cameron made a rum bet and the two sides played their hands about the way anyone should expect. Now GB (and the EU) will have to deal with the consequences as best they can.
I hope I don’t sound overly cynical— having in my own country, the U.S., just experienced an example of how badly wrong things can go with public voting. It seems we are doomed to live H. L. Mencken’s view of democracy: “the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”