Bizarre ideas about the U.K. riots

The U.K. riots are (were?) tremendously destructive. And the rioters--looters, really--were just out to steal whatever they could. But in the minds of some, it's really not their fault.

Here's a typical comment:

Of course the riots are terrible and need to be stopped but do people really believe that depriving poor people is going to solve the problem?

Ya know, I don't recall hearing a single government official or party leader saying "We can stop the riots if we just deprive the poor!" But when someone is allowed to get away with framing a question like this, it falsely implies that someone did.

The commenter is probably conflating the fact that the U.K. government has proposed hiking tuition at state-run universities, along with some very small cuts in some of the more egregiously lavish welfare perks. These changes sparked a lot of anger--as one would expect. But to say they "deprive the poor" is quite a stretch.

Of course, not a stretch for anyone who supports the idea of the Welfare State.