MICHAEL HURLEY, of Woolston, Kingsbridge, writes:

I wrote just before the referendum vote that, irrespective of the decision, we should accept the result and work together to achieve what was decided by the nation. However, I find to my surprise that I am angry and finding it hard to follow my own advice.

My frustration is not towards those who voted in the opposite cause to me, rather it is towards the 28 per cent – more than 13 million – who did not vote at all. Out of every 50 people you pass in the street, 14 did not vote either in person or by post.

A referendum is meant to be a decision by the population on an important national issue; in our case the decision was made by less than three-quarters of our adult population. This means that the decision to leave was made by 37.4 per cent of the total electorate.

If we want the Australian system applied to immigration, perhaps we should also apply their system to voting, whereby it is deemed a citizen’s responsibility to vote and be involved in the democratic process – ­failure to do so results in a fine.

The thought that more than one in four people just could not be bothered to get off their couch potato bottoms is frustrating in the extreme.

The media reports that the country is split in two, but in reality it is in three parts: the 37.4 per cent who voted to leave, the 34.6 per cent who voted to remain – and the 28 per cent who could not care less.

No doubt, however, they will be vociferous about whatever happens.