1.   But that does not mean the referendum will have no impact.

2.   But the speaker refused, saying the referendum had nothing to do with budget talks.

3.   But the analogy does not hold, because the Scottish referendum had the support of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

4.   If a slow-motion referendum has to hold matters up at this stage, the hopes of pushing on to a realistic, worthwhile settlement are dim indeed.

5.   Referendums rightly have a limited role in representative democracies.

6.   The referendum had implications for the tenuous peace process in Northern Ireland, too, although, tellingly, that seemed to play little role in the outcome.

7.   The referendum had its perfect foil, a fast-talking, faster-thinking, high-living, big-spending Democrat from San Francisco.

8.   If the court says yes, the referendums would have to be put to a vote this spring.

9.   Legal experts and political analysts said the referendum would have no legal validity and was only called to justify the suspension of parliament.

10.   Such a referendum would have to be approved by a majority in parliament.