What should have happened in your opinion? I can’t tell if you’re saying ordinary people shouldn’t have been asked such an important question, or what.
Most people aren't experts in the tons of subjects required to properly appreciate the gravity of the vote ( not to mention that the "leave" option had vastly different suboptions nobody got to vote on). Ffs, nobody had any idea what to do with the Irish question, and there is simply no answer there.
Ramming through a dangerous situation on the basis of a very thin margined non-binding referendum was very weird.