I've never been entirely sure if Katie Hopkins believes most - or any - of what she tweets, or if it's just a case of knowing her audience and throwing them the buns she knows they'll like.
She's in the fortunate position of never having to deal with nuance, caveat or grey areas, because her followers have no interest in any of that, either. All they want is a simple, no-punches-pulled message and that's precisely what she gives them.
But I was struck by her response to Marcus Rashford and his campaign for Free School Meals: 'Do you think women should think about how they are going to feed a child before they decide to have it? I do not want to pay to feed other people's kids. You are welcome to. Thank you, Katie Hopkins.' Now, as I said, I don't know if she actually believes a word of that, although I'm pretty sure she knew it would kickstart a firestorm on Twitter and have her 'trending' (a horrible word) on social media. Which is, of course, the only thing that matters to her.
Whatever else she may be, she is not stupid. She will know that her taxes already pay to feed other people's children; as well as provide them with an education, health care and various levels of other support. She will know, too, that millions of people (and she may be one of them), including the reasonably well-to-do, also benefit from our welfare state. That's because millions of people probably won't earn enough to pay for the health care, education, support, assorted benefits et al required during their lifetime. We pay into a collective fund and we collectively benefit.
Unless it's something we are choosing and able to pay for ourselves, most of us don't get a hospital bill after a birth; or a bill for the primary and secondary education of our children; or a bill for cancer treatment; or a bill if we've been unemployed. It's a given that if we're paying our taxes we will all benefit in one way or another. Indeed, it's also a given that even if we aren't earning enough to pay taxes we'll still benefit. Some people may not like some of the ways the welfare state works (including, judging by the response to Hopkins' tweets, many of those who 'like' her views), but most people in the UK benefit from the welfare state.
Thirty years ago a couple I know were killed in a car crash, leaving three children behind. Should they have considered the possibility of such an accident and chosen not to have children? I've known and know people who were made redundant through no fault of their own and who needed support through benefits for themselves and their children. Should they have factored in redundancy before they had children. Should they factor in cancer, terrorism, recession or a pandemic before they have children?
I wonder how some of her 'followers' would like it if, after an operation costing tens of thousands of pounds, to be followed by lifelong medication that would cost tens of thousands more, an accountant came to them and said: "By our calculation there is no way that what you are likely to pay, or have already paid in tax will cover the costs of this treatment, so we want an alternative payment upfront."
Sometimes it's not just about the money. It's about doing the right thing and helping because people need help. That's, in essence, the principle upon which the welfare state was built. At this moment there are children starving in the United Kingdom. Free school meals make a huge difference to their lives and, as Mike Nesbitt tweeted, 'There is no logic to providing Free (School) Meals to children during term time only. If a child goes hungry in May and June, they will be hungry in July and August. The Executive should extend the free meal deal to cover Holiday Hunger.'
Katie Hopkins may be in the fortunate position of not having to worry about her children, or have ever needed financial support above and beyond what she has already paid in tax. I hope her children will never have to worry about their own children at some point and wonder why there is no help when it is most needed. I accept that there are serious problems with the welfare state, but punishing children for what is obviously not their fault is not the way of addressing those problems.
