European Constitution debate needs spark

THE debate on the European Constitution is being ramped up a notch or two in Strasbourg this week with the European Parliament having a vote on it.

It's a difficult subject, even for those interested in the detail, and nobody is under any illusions about how difficult it will be over the next 20 months to get Europe's 450 million citizens enthusiastic about it.

So far, nine countries have announced they will put the document to a referendum, though the result will not be binding on the governments in all these countries.