Sad to watch English commentators talking of referendums as a bad idea, without qualifying the claim.
Ireland has held 46 referendums since 1937. They mostly work very well.
So if referendums work badly in England, that's not a referendums problem. It's an England problem.
Ireland has learnt a lot about conducting referendums. But before the 2016 referendum, the British govt didn't even ask for advice.
British failure doesn't make democracy a bad idea.