What next after the referendum?

South Gloucestershire, like the country as a whole, has voted narrowly to leave the European Union. The official result in our area was:

Remain: 74,928 (47.3%)
Leave: 83,405 (52.7%)
Turnout: 76.2%

Your Focus Team campaigned positively with people of other parties and none for the UK to remain in the European Union, so of course we are disappointed. Now the momentous decision has been made to leave, we will continue to work to get the best for local people as our country takes the next steps. Now we need to work together to reconcile the divisions this referendum has highlighted.

If you would like to help, please consider joining the Liberal Democrats- more than 7000 new members have already joined since the referendum.

Membership may cost less than you think - check out our Frequently Asked Questions here.

Voting Remain - a personal story

We don't normally put personal viewpoints on here, but this article explains why our editor is voting REMAIN.

The Brexit campaigners want to return to a Britain that never existed for most of our people. As a child I played on the bomb sites. Bath time was in a tin bath in the living room. The toilet was outside and round the side of the house, though we were luckier than our neighbours, who had to cross our front to get to their loo.

I played with ration coupons - food rationing had only just finished, nine years after the war ended. We knew that if the siren sounded for real we had only four minutes before the nuclear missiles struck. We had pea soup smogs. TB and polio were still not unknown.

Later, currency devaluation followed devaluation. If you went abroad there was a limit on the cash you could take out of the country - the amount of money was recorded in your passport. If you went to a friendly European country to work, you had to report to the police and register as an alien.

The UK economy continued to decline. The miners' strike precipitated power cuts and the three day week. Speeding coal convoys under police escort were very aggressive and virtually barged ordinary drivers off the motorways.

Yes, there were the positives too, notably the National Health Service. I was one of the early NHS babies, and I've been grateful for it throughout my life. But many of the Brexiteers want to abolish the NHS.

Another positive was the almost universal loathing of fascism, but fascism is now creeping back into our society. Hatred of immigrants, using language that sees refugees (often from wars we have helped to create) as numbers, not people. Authoritarianism in many forms, from private security substituting for properly trained prison staff, through to projects being imposed by the diktat of government or inspectors regardless of the will of local people.

So where is this golden age they want to take us back to? Can't we go forward, not back, into a more humane society?

I'm voting Remain because the EU has been a force for good, a force for peace, a source of strength in numbers. I don't want to be part of a Little Britain that will fall apart. If we leave the EU Scotland will probably leave us, and maybe take northern England with it. Wales will be next in the queue, and a neutered England will be left to deal with a resurrected Northern Ireland problem.

Vote Remain, if you want to avoid economic decline, if you want a decent pension.

Vote Remain, if you want a decent life for your children and grandchildren.

Vote Remain, if you want to live in a society that values people.

Vote Remain.

Paul Hulbert

The most important 10 minutes this year

This Thursday our country faces its most important choice in a generation, as we vote on whether to remain in or leave the European Union. Your Focus Team believes it’s vital that you use your vote to support REMAIN.

We believe we should stay in the EU, because that’s how we can tackle our most important problems – through a strong economy that can pay for vital services like the NHS and co-operation to tackle complex global challenges like climate change and terrorism.

Being in Europe keeps many jobs safe and makes sure we get lots of investment in Britain. But it also helps us in simple every day ways, for instance cutting mobile phone roaming charges and making sure we have access to medical care while on holiday.

Here in South Gloucestershire, prominent local businesses that provide jobs for local people have come out strongly in favour of a REMAIN vote. Airbus recently wrote to all employees, telling them: “Our position… is we firmly believe that it makes good economic sense to stay inside the EU which has helped make the company the global success story it is today. Apart from anything else, we simply don’t know what ‘out’ looks like.”

This is why your vote this week is crucial. The decision you make this Thursday will shape our country for years to come. We only have one chance – please make plans now for what time of day you will vote. You can vote at your usual place from 7am to 10pm. If you haven’t used your postal vote yet, you can take it along to the polling station on the day.

There is still time to learn more and join our campaign by visiting www.libdems.org.uk/europe. You can also let us know your views on the referendum by completing this survey.

Last chance to register to vote in the EU Referendum

No prizes for guessing which way we're voting! But it's vital that everyone has their say. If you're not currently registered to vote, you only have until midnight tomorrow, Tuesday 7th June.

You can do it online - it only takes about 5 minutes. Click here to register on the government website.

If you've already had a polling card, you don't need to do anything, you're already registered.

If you haven't yet decided which way to vote, we suggest that you read this very well balanced article by Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com fame. He gives you the facts for both sides of the argument - it all comes down to how big a risk you want to take. Please read it for yourselves.

The other ballot paper today - Stephen Fry explains

Is your cat confused about the voting system referendum on Thursday?

Dan Snow explains the Alternative Vote

As simple as going to the pub...

Say Yes to Fairer Votes - and have a chuckle at the same time

If you missed the (very short) TV broadcast about Fairer Votes the other evening, it's well worth watching. And the bit with the duck is priceless...

(N.B. Please don't follow the link shown at the very end of the video - it now goes to a spam website)

Voting referendum - what's all the fuss about AV? A simple video explanation

An explanation from Stuart Bonar, Plymouth Lib Dem

South Glos Council says YES to Fair Votes!

South Gloucestershire Council has voted to support a change in the voting system. In a lengthy debate, amendments seeking to undermine the proposal were put first by Labour and then by Conservatives. Cllr Peter Tyzack (LibDem) argued the case for a fairer voting system and that the Council should be proactive in encouraging people to take part and vote.

Cllr Tyzack said, “The Labour amendment sought to turn the debate onto other issues and so was rejected, we also resisted the Conservative amendment, which tried to withdraw council’s support. We don’t care how this will affect the main parties, we just want to make the system fairer for the voter. In the case of the Conservatives' amendment, they seem to have little idea about fairness or true democracy as they just want to protect a system which favours them not the other 26 or so political parties”

He also commented, “There are a number of councillors wearing the purple or mauve colours of Emeline Pankhurst and the universal suffrage movement. Whilst recognising that for some it may be no more than just a fashionable colour, I believe that it is appropriate that we follow the principles of that movement and continue to promote fairness in our future elections”

After the meeting Peter Tyzack said ‘In the case of Labour they were clearly more interested in keeping the unfair constituency boundaries which mean that not everyone’s vote counts for the same. We firmly believe that one person one vote should mean just that and that one vote should count the same whether cast in Filton & Bradley Stoke or in Thornbury and Yate”

The motion was passed without amendment.

As a result of the decision it is now the policy of South Glos Council to ‘support moves to change our parliamentary voting system, which will see South Gloucestershire’s Members of Parliament elected under a fairer system’. And for the Council’s Returning Officer ‘to take steps to promote participation in the Referendum’.