Ireland’s choice: €4bn in cuts or IMF

THE Government has raised the spectre of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) coming in to run the country if people don’t accept the savage €4 billion of cuts to be imposed in the December budget.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his Cabinet colleagues have launched a PR offensive to soften people up for the cutbacks, saying the black hole in the public finances was unsustainable.

Mr Cowen said everybody would have to make a contribution to help solve the crisis “according to their means”.