Dutch reaction: Fears of a second rejection of the European constitution by another EU founding country heightened yesterday with the latest opinion poll showing the No camp in the Netherlands gaining yet more ground.
Some 59 per cent of voters are poised to vote against with 41 per cent in favour.
The new poll, carried out by the country's leading pollster Maurice de Hond for the NOS TV network, projected a turnout of around 48 per cent.
If the views of callers who yesterday deluged a popular Dutch Radio One spot, Standpunt NL, were also anything to go by, a loud Nee to the European constitution can be expected tomorrow.
Over 70 per cent said they were voting No, citing government "arrogance" and the "gulf between politicians and the electorate".
"Confusion" and "lack of information" were also blamed.
Following the resounding French No, the main Dutch political leaders are pulling out all the stops ahead of tomorrow's vote.
But their worst fears were realised as it became clear in the latest poll here last evening that the French outcome has brought the Yes vote to a standstill, while increasing the anticipated No lead.
"We must not let ourselves be influenced by the French; their No is even more of a reason for us to vote Yes," said a shaken Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
Economic affairs minister Jan Brinkhorst added: "We are not a province of France, we are an independent country.
"To look to events in France and think that we should also vote No would be a very short-sighted vision."
But Dutch diplomatic sources in The Hague, as well as in Brussels, are convinced that the resolute rejection of the European constitution by the French could have profound consequences.
Privately one prominent diplomat said: "It seems highly probable that this country will vote No.
"But if there had been a French Yes and a Dutch No, it would have been worse because of the isolation and the uphill battle to re-establish our position in Europe; you could say we have now slipped through the eye of the needle, as it were."
Prominent campaigner Harry van Bommel of the Socialist Party said: "The Dutch have seen that people have the right to say No.
"Before we were being told by our prime minister that we would look like a fool in Europe if we were the only ones who voted No, but people will now feel more confident about voting down the constitution."
He said the clear signal coming from the Netherlands was that the electorate is "sick and tired" of being dictated to by the present government and by bureaucrats in Europe.
The result would be an important lesson in showing that what parliament and the government think and what the people think are not necessarily the same thing.
A caller radio programme yesterday summed up frustrations: "We have been told what to think for long enough; nobody was consulted here about the introduction of the euro and because of it we are worse off.
"The economy is doing badly and the EU was enlarged without our approval.
"Now at last we have a chance to show our politicians and the bureaucrats in Brussels what we really think. We Dutch have had enough."
With just 16 million people the Netherlands is one of the EU's founding members, and support for Europe here has traditionally been strong.
"But Holland is in a very inward mood. It's hiding behind its dykes right now," said leading historian Han van der Horst.
Apart from disillusionment with the euro the generally free market, the Dutch have become frustrated at the increasing levels of regulation and bureaucracy coming from Brussels.
There is also anger because they pay more into the EU per person than any other country.
Opinion polls here in the early stages of the referendum also showed that the main reason people planned to vote against the constitution was that they were opposed to Turkey joining the bloc.