The opinion of people on the ground

How the people responded to yesterday’s budget.

* Jamie Steward, Bandon

I don’t think the IMF should be dictating the country. The Irish people should be getting their say. Families are being hit again, especially lone parent families, which is ridiculous.

* Chris Broderick, Farranree

The lower class are being hammered once again. This budget is the most unfair, the children’s allowance should not have been touched.

* Ken Weldon, Ballintemple

They’re hitting the weak and vulnerable whilst not tackling the real issue: All the problems caused by the wealthy during the Celtic Tiger years.

* Robert Czaplinski, Douglas

They need to do something with the people on social welfare. They need to be made do some form of work or lose the payment.

* Mick McVeigh, Mayfield

Public sector workers seem to have got the blame, they keep getting cuts and more cuts. They’re an easy target. People think they are just dosing in an office, they don’t think of those on the frontline, the nurses and guards.

* Tom Hill, Ennis

It’s hard but it had to be done. It’s very tough on young families, in particular those with special needs children. I think things will only get worse next year.

* Vanessa Vogel, city centre

They should have done this a long time ago. It’s gone very far at this stage, a lot of the cuts should have been put in place at the start of the crisis.

* Christy O’Driscoll, Farranree

It’s nothing I didn’t see coming. I expected bad things. The only good that came out of the budget is income tax won’t be touched but they will get us in other ways.