What’s the plural of referendum?

The Times has caught wind of a Spiegel interview with the German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) where he raises the prospect of Germany holding a referendum on sending more power to Brussels. Such a referendum has long been a prospect in Britain, with its roots well before the current crisis intensified demands for reform.

While the questions in these two hypothetical referendums/referenda would likely be identical, the British and German pro-EU campaign would be worlds apart. Schäuble wants to push more powers to Brussels so that ‘every nation state cannot block decisions’, where as the British pro-EU political consensus has its foundation in the claim that the British national interest is better served by being in rather than out.

Any German ‘yes’ campaign would be prime fodder for the ‘no’ camp in the UK – and with Britain being one of those states with a habit of blocking decisions, I’m not entirely sure the German government would lose much sleep over a UK ‘no’ vote.

I just hope we can have a two-speed Europe: Britain gets to keep the Common Market and freedom of movement, the rest of Europe gets as much integration as they want – while somehow grafting on some democracy and accountability.