Irish may still reject sweetened treaty

Outbreaks of sweating and dry nervous coughs are predicted in Brussels today with the results of a poll published on the front page of the Irish Independent revealing that support for a Yes on the Lisbon Treaty has slumped to 46% from its midsummer high of 54%. The Irish Republic’s deeply unpopular Fianna Fail government, which is urging ratification in what most admit is a lacklustre campaign, may derive cold comfort from the fact that only 29% of respondents said they would vote No this 2 October. The fact remains that a staggering 25% remain undecided on a treaty which, following its rejection in the 2008 referendum, has been sweetened by "legal guarantees" on issues such neutrality, abortion, and an Irish commissioner to suit the national taste. With a certain measure of understatement, Pat Cox, Ireland’s former European Parliament president said the results showed there was “a lot of work still to be done.”