Irish cool on EU treaty but still want vote - poll

The majority of Irish still want a referendum on the EU Constitution although only 30 per cent of them favour a treaty left in limbo by no votes in France and the Netherlands.

A poll published yesterday showed traditionally Europhile Ireland, whose thriving economy has benefited from years of EU aid, could be turning more sceptical - with 45 per cent saying the country should do all it can to protect its independence.

Only 36 per cent thought Ireland should do its best to unite fully with the EU - one of the few times in the past decade that more people in Ireland have shied away from EU integration than supported it.

Voters in the Netherlands this month followed a French rejection of the proposed EU Constitution with a resounding no vote of their own, prompting Britain to put its referendum plans on ice while Poland said it might delay its own poll.

Should the Irish government stick to its plan for a referendum, 35 per cent would vote to reject the constitution and 30 per cent would accept it, according to the Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll.

The remaining 35 per cent of those surveyed were either undecided or had no opinion.

Nevertheless, many Irish voters still want a chance to vote on a treaty that outlines how the enlarged European Union will function. Some 45 per cent of those surveyed called for the referendum to go ahead, 34 per cent said they were opposed to a vote and 21 per cent were undecided or had no opinion.

As for people's understanding of the issues, only nine per cent said they were well-informed and 28 per cent admitted to some understanding while 36 per cent said they were only vaguely aware and 24 per cent confessed to not understanding the constitution.

The Irish government, which has yet to set a date for a plebiscite, says it still plans to proceed but is awaiting any decisions at an EU summit this week before committing itself further.

The last time Ireland cooled significantly over EU integration was in 2001 when it rejected the Nice Treaty.

Voters later changed their minds in a second referendum on the pact to reform EU institutions after a pledge that new defence arrangements would not breach Ireland's traditional neutrality.