It seems now that Poland and the Czech Republic are also unlikely to endorse the Lisbon Treaty after the Irish rejection.
French President Sarkozy has blamed Commissioner Peter Mandelson for selling out farmer interests for a trade deal and thereby alienating Irish farmers prior to the Lisbon Treaty vote. The French President is under pressure from his own farmer voters to halt this trade deal.
As France holds the current Presidency one may see some changes on this trade matter as the French Presidents seems to be more gritty. If the IFA had gone for the Treaty early in the campaign it would have been carried.
Other international commentators say if the Treaty was shorter and made more readable it would have helped. The Irish Taoiseach even admitted that he did not read it.
Former President of the Czech Republic and founder of the Revolution there against Communism in 1989, spoke in the UK press over the weekend. He says that if the Treaty was more intelligible then it may have been passed.
A Treaty that was three or four pages long that addressed the concerns of Ireland and ideals of Europe could have been passed. Instead people got a long document that was too hard to read.
Is the Czech President right? Get the Treaty shortened to a readable document.
Ensure that Commissioner Mandelson does not sell out farmer interests and get the balance right with international trade.
Neutrality, defence, tax and abortion were other parts of the debate here in Ireland that need to be borne in mind, but were covered in the long treaty. Can this be done in a shorter version too?