Having gained notoriety for his bizarre lifestyle, Michael Philpott caused outrage after he was found to have caused the deaths of six of his children in a fire which he started deliberately. Memorably, the case was jumped on by the right-wing press as "a vile product of welfare UK". George Osborne even chipped in, saying it raised important welfare "questions".
Having gained notoriety for his bizarre polyamorous lifestyle, Michael Philpott shocked the nation after he was found to have caused the deaths of six of his children in a fire which he started deliberately.
Memorably, the case was jumped on by the right-wing press, with Philpott labelled “a vile product of welfare UK” by the Mail. The chancellor George Osborne even chipped in, saying the case raised important welfare “questions”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZEuv51YvoU
On May 4, Stephanie Bottrill, 53, killed herself. She had previously told the Sunday People that she was worried about how she would afford the £20 extra a week for the two under-occupied bedrooms in her home – money she owed because of the government’s ‘bedroom tax’.
A note addressed to her son, Steven, found at her home upon her death read: “Don’t blame yourself for me ending my life. The only people to blame are the government.”
Asked to comment on this case, however, the treasury said it “does not comment on individual cases”.
The hypocrisy didn’t go unnoticed.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/ScottishPleb/status/334057005490765824″]
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/coolisimo/status/334239158325350400″]
12 Responses to “Stephanie Bottrill: The treasury ‘does not comment on individual cases’ (except when it can use them to demonise the welfare state)”
OldLb
No.
1. She moves. She saves money by not paying for rooms she didn’t need.
2. With a roof and the removal of that financial stress she is better off
3.Now with a three bedroom property, you move in someone who is in short term accommodation paid for by the rest of us. Expensive as a result, and so we save lots of money.
4. That family who move in now have a better standard of living.
If this had been done, I doubt you she would have taken the action she did.
Stephen Hildon
Who is the “you” you are addressing point one to?
Selohesra
Perhaps if Labour/BBC stopped scaremongering on every govt policy to fix Labour’s mess then people would not take such extreme measures.
I h8 twaddling farts
But you don’t like poor people. The crap that you post here and on the Torygraph proves that you do not give a damn.
I don’t suppose that you noticed the lack of one bedroomed properties in most areas of Britain.
Like Iain Dunked-in Shit, I doubt if you’ve factored in the cost of keeping the newly made homeless in B&B establishments.
What is all the bs about investing NI contributions? Have a word with Gideot and he’ll tell you that it’s a Ponzi but better than a 401(k) in Enron.
Magrat Thatchless
BBC are villains, taking our money rubbishing NHS Social workers, probation officers, paving the way to privatisation. mm who is in charge… old tory hack. i hate paying these people money.