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Ireland is the only country constitutionally bound to have a referendum on this confusing document. Its basically a rejigged European constitution under the guise of a treaty. It's fascinating that such a small country that has benifitted so much from the EU can torpedo this thing. Then again, when we rejected Nice, we were told to go back and vote the correct way. Democracy in action

To be honest I dont understand it a whole lot, but from what Ive read about it, I dont like the smell of it.

Any folk out there with opinions?

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Voters in the Irish Republic have rejected the European Union's Lisbon treaty in a vote by 53.4% to 46.6%.
The poll is a major blow to leaders in the 27-nation EU, which requires all its members to ratify the treaty. Only Ireland has held a public vote.
The European Commission says nations should continue to ratify the treaty, designed to streamline decision-making.
Irish PM Brian Cowen said he respected the vote but it had caused a "difficult situation" that had "no quick fix".
Leaders of the No campaign said the vote was a "great result for Ireland".

An earlier, more wide-ranging EU draft constitution failed after French and Dutch voters rejected it in 2005.
'Uncharted territory' The Irish No campaign won by 862,415 votes to 752,451. Turnout was 53.1%. Mr Cowen said: "The government accepts and respects the verdict of the Irish people."
He said he would work with other EU leaders to try to find an "agreed way forward" but that the bloc was in "uncharted territory".
"Ireland has no wish to halt the progress" of the EU, he said.
A referendum was mandatory in Ireland as the country would need to change its constitution to accommodate the treaty.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he had spoken to Mr Cowen and agreed with him that this was not a vote against the EU.
"Ireland remains committed to a strong Europe," he said.
"Ratifications should continue to take their course."
France and Germany quickly issued a joint statement expressing regret over the Irish result. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the UK would press on with ratification, saying: "It's right that we continue with our own process."
Spain has said a solution will be found but Czech President Vaclav Klaus said ratification could not now continue.
Mr Barroso said EU leaders would have to decide at a summit next week how to proceed. He called for the EU to continue focusing on issues of interest to people like jobs and inflation, energy security and climate change. But BBC Europe editor, Mark Mardell, says this is a multiple crisis for the EU - a crisis of rule change, of legitimacy and of morale.
In the end, he says, the Lisbon treaty could be declared dead: some parts of it would be implemented without a treaty, others abandoned, others put in a new treaty when Croatia joins the EU in a couple of years time.
Declan Ganley of the anti-treaty lobby group Libertas said: "It is a great day for Irish democracy." He added: "This is democracy in action... and Europe needs to listen to the voice of the people." The No campaign was a broad coalition ranging from Libertas to Sinn Fein, the only party in parliament to oppose the treaty.
Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, said: "People feel secure at the heart of Europe, but they want to ensure there's maximum democratic power."
Confusion
Correspondents say many voters did not understand the treaty despite a high-profile campaign led by Mr Cowen, which had the support of most of the country's main parties.
Jose Manuel Barroso said the EC respected the vote but had hoped for another outcome
Mr Cowen accused the No camp of "misrepresentation", saying voters had voiced concern about "issues that clearly weren't in the treaty at all", the Irish Times reported.
The treaty, which is designed to help the EU cope with its expansion into eastern Europe, provides for a streamlining of the European Commission, the removal of the national veto in more policy areas, a new president of the European Council and a strengthened foreign affairs post.
The treaty was due to come into force on 1 January 2009.
Fourteen countries out of the 27 have completed ratification so far.
Just over three million Irish voters are registered - in a European Union of 490 million people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7453560.stm

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This is going to cause such a sh itstorm. Im glad it was rejected, looking at it, the treaty stank to high heavan's. the EU should be a trading bloc and further political integration is not necessary. The people of Europe dont want it. If this was put to plebiscite like in all EU countries like it was in Ireland it would be voted out the door. The Dutch and French rejected practically the same document in the EU Constitution. I hope this puts the skids on the Eurocrats for a while