Ireland went to the polls yesterday in a referendum on whether to ratify the Lisbon Treaty establishing a new constitution for the EU. It's an important vote: the Lisbon Treaty must be ratified by every member if it is to come into effect, so what's at stake is the entire future of the EU. The last attempt to put the EU on a new footing foundered after being rejected by referenda in France and the Netherlands, and an Irish "no" (or whatever it is in Gaelic) would leave the EU in no-man's land for another five years. On the plus side, turnout is reported to be high, which is considered a good sign for the "yes" campaign, but there's a lot of nervousness in Europe while they wait for the results to be counted.
Results will be posted here later today. Meanwhile, there's more information at European Tribune.
