Remember that er… referendum thingy?

So far in the past have the heady days of the French and Dutch referendums receded that the whole idea of ratifying the EU constitution has faded into distant memories.

Now, even the Poles seem to have given up, with president Aleksandr Kwasniewski having decided that the original date of 9 October for their referendum is "unrealistic" in view of the double No votes in France and the Netherlands.

Still not entirely burying the beast, he says "We should hold a referendum but when to do so is still unclear," although he is due to leave office in October so it will now be up to his successor to decide, if at all. But, says Kwasniewski, the decision, "will not be taken this year".

Meanwhile, after the Slovak ratification had been halted after a group successfully turned to the constitutional court, objecting to the parliamentary process and asking for a ruling on whether a referendum is needed, the court is now to rule on whether the president can go ahead and sign his assent.

And still there is no news from Germany as to whether the EU constitution is compatible with Germany's own basic law, which leaves the whole thing up on the air. What a difference a couple of months make.