Allez France, votez Non, votez souvent, and, of course, stem Nee, stem vaak

Here we are at the moment of truth, if such a term can be applied to a French referendum. Last time round, the result was swung by boxes of Oui votes flown in from France’s ex-colonies. This time la France outre-mer has been deluged with money from Brussels. (Where does Brussels get the money? Where do you suppose?) In London, the City’s spread-betters have been making the result too close to call. The best we can say is that, when the photo-finish is developed, France may actually have voted Europe’s new constitution down and dispatched it to the mortuary. From Whitehall comes a warning, faithfully relayed in the Financial Times, that saying Non would overshadow Britain’s presidency of the European Union. That should rally the marginal voters, if anything can. Short of that, a Non vote could always be explained away as tactical, or as proof of Kenneth Clarke’s law: in a referendum, you ask people what they think about bimetallism, and they say ‘Throw the rascals out.’