Opposition deride Lenihan as puppet whose strings are pulled by the IMF

BRIAN LENIHAN was last night derided by the opposition as a puppet whose strings were being pulled by the IMF.

Fine Gael finance spokesperson Michael Noonan rounded on the €6 billion package of cuts and tax hikes as a missed opportunity to kick-start growth through job creation, while Labour insisted it was the dying gasp of a failed administration.

Sinn Féin went further, saying the budget amounted to “economic treason”.