EU's reform treaty hangs in balance as Irish poll shows 'no' camp in lead for referendum

Irish voters may torpedo the European Union's reform treaty after a dramatic swing in public opinion put the "no" camp in the lead for the first time, a poll published Friday suggested. The survey in the Irish Times newspaper said 35 percent of voters intend to reject the treaty in Thursday's referendum, while 30 percent would vote yes. The rest said they were still unsure or did not plan to vote. The painstakingly negotiated Treaty of Lisbon seeks to reform EU structures in line with the bloc's near-doubling of members since 2004. Most of the proposed reforms were contained in the EU's failed constitution, which voters in France and the Netherlands shot down in 2005. The EU's 26 other members are ratifying the document through their national parliaments and administrations, but Ireland requires all EU treaties to be ratified... [read full story]