Note to EULEX

This from the EU Observer gets one thinking:

With just a month to go until Ireland's second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, a poll has shown that 46 percent support a yes vote, down eight points since May.

Published by the Irish Times, the TNS mrbi poll shows a rise of one point in those saying they plan to vote No to 29 percent with the Don't Knows registering at 25 percent, up seven points in comparison to a pre-summer survey.

The newspaper notes that most of the people who have left the Yes side have entered the Don't Know category rather than crossed to the No camp.

The drop in support for the treaty is reminiscent of the trend in the weeks ahead of the first referendum which resulted in a No in June last year. It is set to spur the government to place more focus on a strong and coherent campaign.

We in the west are always beavering about helping developing countries create and enhance their own democratic aims, free and fair elections. How about pulling a switcheroo and calling in a group of Afghan election consultants to "advise and monitor" the Irish? The Afghans seem to have the process down pat:

Official results in Afghanistan’s presidential election that were to have been issued today are likely to be delayed for weeks by investigations of voting fraud, Afghan officials and independent election monitors say.

While the Independent Election Commission said last month it would announce preliminary results from the Aug. 20 poll today, the earliest possible date for that now will be Sept. 7, said spokeswoman Marzia Siddiqi today.

A separate, U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission will need at least two weeks, and perhaps longer, to process more than 2,600 reports of fraud, its chairman told reporters in Kabul yesterday.

The Afghans offer guaranteed results.