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Ireland voted for the referendum on the new Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance - also known as the “Fiscal Compact” – on May 31st. As opinion polls predicted, a wide majority, around 60.3 % of the electorate, voted yes, but the electoral turnout was relatively low with only half of the 3.1 million eligible voters coming out to express a preference. Rural areas and middle-class suburbs voted yes, while working-class areas in Dublin and the entire county of Donegal (five constituencies in total) rejected the treaty. A similar tendency was noted in the working-class areas of Cork and Limerick. An analysis of the results reveals a strong class polarization which could be explained by the fact that austerity measures taken by the government have hit the...