I FELT there was low-key national coverage on the reaching of the milestone of one year until Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

Considering the significance of March 29 I expected more Brexit coverage. Maybe everyone is just bored of the subject.

There was the PM’s whistle-stop UK Brexit tour, the publishing of Brexit related polls, and the news nine senior Tories, including two former cabinet ministers, had put their name to cross-party amendments to the EU withdrawal bill in the Lords. And that was about it. Considering this is meant to be an historic occasion, it was all very quiet, although there was some social media debate.

One view which caught my attention was that it was the holding of a referendum 'that had got us into this mess'. This is an opinion that makes no sense to me. If you were unhappy with the result, that is your right. But the answer is not to attack the holding of referendums.

Since 1973 there have been 11 UK ones, quite a low number in comparison with other countries.

Participatory democracy is surely something we can all support. Often governments and opposition parties will try to speak on behalf of the electorate, with no evidence to prove that. With a referendum you get direct democracy, and answers to big political issues. People also become more engaged in the political process whey they have the ability to help shape the future on a particular issue. Being out of Europe offers a future where a government can call more referendums on key issues, and I hope that happens.

On the subject of referendums, many on social media were calling for a second Brexit referendum - a subject that has never really gone away since the 2016 result. There have been petitions asking for it, with those supporting it being both pro and anti Brexit supporters.

I initially was against the holding of a second referendum, writing in this column a few weeks ago it was meant to be a one time thing, ending that issue for a generation. But I have now come to the conclusion that I wouldn't be against a second vote, if one was ever held. If Brexit is about taking back control, and referendums are an essential part of the democratic process, why not have a second one?

However, it now looks very unlikely, when the leaders of the main political parties have ruled it out.