I have always admired the Swedes. It seems to me their independence of spirit and quiet confidence to do things their own way are splendid qualities.

Their weekend vote to say no to the euro not only confirms that but also brilliantly exposes the lie of their pro-euro government's efforts to portray 'no' voters as dogmatic, greying wrinklies who simply want to maintain the status quo.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Newspaper pictures and television images consistently showed crowds of happy, attractive, bright young people who were delighted with the outcome of their referendum.

They had had the intelligence to think through the issues for themselves and the courage to reject government bullying and threats of inevitable disaster if Sweden isolated itself from the rest of the euro community. Their joyous response said it all.

The reality was that the grey-haired wrinklies were the bureaucrats, the politicians, the businessmen, the industrialists who see Europe and the euro as an opportunity for themselves and their careers, not necessarily something which would be of real benefit to the young Swedes of the new generation.

And while the murder of the Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, the leading voice of the 'Yes' campaign, was an unspeakable crime, those same young Swedes were sensible enough to be able to uncouple their natural revulsion for the assassination from the quite separate arguments about voting for or against the euro.

They were especially concerned, just as we are here, about the loss of sovereignty to Brussels and therefore their own identity.

They were equally concerned about handing over so much economic control to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt and public spending cuts being imposed that would destroy their welfare state, of which they are rightly proud.

As a result, the consensus here in Britain is clear. Tony Blair has a dead duck on his hands. Not only will there be no referendum in Britain this side of the next election, it will not happen before 2007.

It could well be much further away than that when we all see how well Sweden prospers outside the euro. Denmark did the same thing three years ago with no ill effects.

Of much more immediate importance for all of us, Tony Blair, the Cabinet and all of New Labour must ditch their boneheaded opposition to allowing a referendum on the proposed new constitution for the European Union.

Their suggestion that the proposals are nothing more than a 'tidying up' exercise was a wicked attempt to deceive - spin at its very worst.

The fact is a referendum on the euro-constitution is more important than one on the single currency at the moment.

The new constitution would give the European Union so much power over our economy, argument about keeping the pound becomes irrelevant.

Whatever Mr Blair's personal ambitions for European presidency, we want this referendum on the constitution and we want it now.