I suspect that all of this negative news from the rest of the EU is a ploy by the Irish government. Unlike most of the rest of the EU members, we have to have a referendum on the EU Constitution. If all the other member states vote 'No' before our vote comes up, I presume it'll pass fairly easily here – especially if all the major Irish political figures come out and denounce the Constitution and support a 'No' vote.
Then, once the Irish vote is bedded down, the rest of Europe can get on with the business of approving the Constitution regardless of their non-binding referendums (referenda).
