Irish vote makes international news

The ratification of the fiscal treaty by the Irish electorate made the news but took few major headlines in the international…

The ratification of the fiscal treaty by the Irish electorate made the news but took few major headlines in the international media today.

The Le Monde website in France noted that the Irish "oui" meant the fiscal pact had overcome "a perilous obstacle" in the shape of the referendum.

The result, Le Monde said, gave new life to the treaty but it said a fear factor had played a significant role in increasing the numbers voting No.

The Financial Times stated "Ireland backs EU fiscal pact" but pointed to the fact there had been a low turnout and that the results indicated a "class divide".

Germany's Spiegel ran a headline "Sigh of Relief" over its coverage of the Irish vote and pointed out that the result was "a rare piece of good news for European leaders".

Die Zeit noted that "the EU Commission was relieved" about the outcome of the vote and that "an Irish No would have intensified the debate about the need for strict austerity measures".

The Guardian said "the resounding victory for the Yes campaign is something of a triumph for Ireland's prime minister".

It said, given the difficulties Taoieach Enda Kenny's predecessors had encountered with the initial Nice and Lisbon campaigns, the "decisive" result was a considerable achievement against a backdrop of recession, austerity and unemployment.

The Wall Street Journal reported that "Irish voters feared a rejection of the treaty would deepen the government's fiscal problems and possibly lead to harsher spending cuts, like those being implemented in Greece".

The Washington Post said the fiscal treaty "won a decisive and much-needed victory in Ireland in a closely watched referendum".The result, it said, provided "a rare reprieve for the region's leaders from the string of recent blows to the crisis-hit euro zone".