I voted No first time around. In fact I did a bit of leafletting for the No Campaign. The reaction I got on the doorstep 43 years ago was exactly how you describe above.
The local No Campaign was centred mainly around the possible demise of the Hull Fishing Industry and the fear that Hull would lose as many as 10,000 jobs if we joined 'The Common Market' as it was then.
All I got on the doorsteps was a shrug of the shoulders. The apathy was stunning. I think less then 20 % of the electorate bothered to turn out around here.
Those fears came true soon enough and those jobs were lost forever and Hull suffered as a consequence despite at one time having three serving Cabinet Ministers as our MP's.
43 years down the line I have yet to seen anything to replace all those lost jobs, the Fish Docks are derelict and the area is quite frankly a shadow of its former glory.
We now have a B@Q, Barker and Stonehouse, PizzaHut , a cinema and all the usual identi-kit stores where once men and woman had proper jobs working around the clock earning decent wages.
You may as well be in Castleford as Hull. 'Kinell disgraceful waste of a thriving Industry. Can you imagine how much wealth the same industry would bring into Hull now fish is considered a bit of a luxury food ? It could be bought for pennies when Hull was the biggest Deep Sea Fishing Port in the World, how could it be now when £10 for a plate of fish and chips is the norm in most eateries ?
I'm voting OUT.
Common Market my arse.