“French voters would approve the proposed European Union constitution in a referendum next month, the first opinion poll to give a swing in favour since mid-March showed Saturday. The TNS-Sofres-Unilog poll for the RTL radio station indicated 52 percent of decided voters would back the constitution in the May 29 referendum.”

The EU Rota blog has this to say:

“A new poll is out showing the Oui with a slight edge over the Non in the upcoming referendum battle to be held on 29 May. Good news, bad news? Try irrelevant news. It bears repeating, whether a Oui or a Non is the outcome on 29 May, free markets will suffer. The reason? A Oui will require Jacques Chirac to continue his fight against “ultra-liberalism” and his reinforcement of the “social model.” A Non will be misread by Chirac as a signal to continue his fight against “ultra-liberalism” and his reinforcement of the “social model.”

Now that socialist promises have been made by Chirac, and will continue to be made, a Oui or Non is becoming irrelevant in terms of the French economy.”

That’s right, so far as it goes (anyone wanting a taste of the ‘yes’ campaign should check out how often those in favour of the draft ‘constitution’ have taken to using the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’ as a term of abuse), but only so far as it goes. In the sense that a ‘no’ vote will also throw a spanner in the works of the larger EU project, which is, now, basically the creation of permanent social-democratic rule throughtout Europe, it can only be welcomed.

Votez ‘non’.