So what about the referendum in 1975 to remain in the EEC. That shouldn't have happened?
It's not the referendum you object to, it is the result.
Whilst I didn't like the result (living in Greece it has made it much more complicated) and could foresee that having the poor quality of parliamentary candidates available in the UK was going to be a disaster for the country, I'm at least willing to accept the result and whatever that brings.
Switzerland have referendums almost yearly and the quality of life seems pretty good.
If I was to sum up the political history of this country over the last 1000 years it would probably be this:
Like most countries the elite hold the reigns of power and wealth and will not give them up. However unlike the French and Russian nobility they realised that refusing to adapt will ultimately destroy you when the people finally rise up.
We had our civil wars and after all that bloodshed and fight for democracy what changed, nothing.
We had "King" Cromwell and then the Glorious Revolution where the new King transferred power to the middle class elites in Parliament in return for funding his wars against the French. There was no democracy.
Then over the next two hundred years every time it looked like there would be a real revolution Parliament gave in just enough to take the steam out of the anger. Each time we were given the semblance of democracy the elites held onto the real power.
Today we still have the uni party, they control how judges are elected and how we are policed, they pass laws most people don't want and wont pass laws people do.
The Brexit referendum was an aberration as the pro EU camp were so arrogant and complacent they though they could see off Farage with a public vote. What really gets up the Brexiteers noses is they had everything going for them the entire establishment from the government to the unions and big business all backing the EU.
They got the shock of their life when the people told them to stuff it. The Sage of Truro is right on one thing we will not get another referendum. Not it is quite clear that Parliament will claw us gradually back into the EU, year after year with minor changes, with all the BS that this will not impact the referendum result.
They made a mistake they will not repeat it.