how I hate the Daily Fail, let me count the ways...

[itsawonderfuldarleneconnorlife]

Christmas on benefits: Eloise is spending £3,000 to give her children EVERYTHING they want for Christmas. And guess what? You're paying for it

Why would she sell her story to this rag when they are only ever going to paint her in such a negative light?

Reading the actual article it becomes clear that the presents are being bought on credit. Do they not have editors to read these bleeding articles before they go to print?

I read it too mainly for the amusement I get from the lovely family photo: Mum, kids (all in tacky "designer" togs), the Xbox, the laptops, the Wii. A beautiful photo imo. I wonder why Venture and the like haven't started doing family pictures posed around the family's LCD screen instead of lying on the floor together laughing?

Exactly - she is affording it by going to loan sharks

That is the real story.

Well according to my Twitter feed:

".....@johannhari101: The Daily Mail is consistently the most fair & informed newspaper on @ukuncut protests. Really. bit.ly/fYXKT1 Strange days..."

Make of that what you will !

TBH although overall I find a lot of what they write stupendously outrageous. I am occasionally surprised that they cover stories that other papers don't.

I expect that the Daily Mail have paid her for her story and pictures. She needs the money so she's taken the opportunity to get it from the DM. I am sure she's aware how she's going to be portrayed and she probably considers it a necessary evil to survive financially.

As well, I actually can't see what choice she has in her position. She has 4 DCs to look after - that's double what the majority of us have. She's on her own so presumably her hands are totally full. I honestly can't see how she could go out to work at this stage - one of her DCs isn't at school yet and she has 3 others to pick up from school and sort out.

I can totally see why she's not working.

Can't see why anyone would take a loan out to get that many luxuries. DH's exW does similar and it really upsets him because then his DCs have to miss out on essentials for the whole year while she pays it off.

''Reading the actual article it becomes clear that the presents are being bought on credit. Do they not have editors to read these bleeding articles before they go to print?''

It's tucked in near the end, the Daily Wail does this all the time. You generally have to read right until the end to find out the facts after wading through paragraphs of opinion and hyperbole.

They also artificially inflate her income by including dental and eye care.

I think the debt point is a bit of an irrelevance. As it looks like she'll be making the repayments out her benefits. Debt isn't free money - it's just spending your future income.

I share Frosty's confusion at why anyone would take on big debts to pay for so many luxuries at Chrismas. Especially if her dc's then miss out on other things during the year.

But I also agree she has limited choices at the moment. If she does a good job bringing up her kids and manages to become a midwife - then she'll pay it back one way or another.

I hate the Daily Hysteria too. I even once mannaged to clock up 1000 (yep that's one thousand) red arrows on their website when I criticised their readers.

Still, it made me feel a lot better and hopefully my comment opened its readers' eyes to some truthful reality but I fear that's my wishful thinking.

Smellsliketeenstrop, I call it The Daily Mail Nugget Of Truth.

They'll have a massive headline, a full page of foaming at the mouth, and then at the bottom, the Nugget Of Truth: 'Contrary to the impression we gave throughout the article, she has got all this on credit, not benefits. Now no-one can sue us, ha ha!' (I paraphrase..)

No surprises for those children on Christmas Day then! They've opened the presents a week early!

Agree, heathen. Often the headline has absolutely nothing at all to do with the story!

Loved the bit about Eloise's thoughts on foreign aid. These journos must have such a laugh writing these reports.

this story was lifted from Closer magazine

Argh. I know this isn't the place to say it but that woman's sense of entitlement enrages me somewhat. It's all "why shouldn't I?" Answer - because you're not a fecking teenager shouting "S'not fair", you're a supposedly grown woman with 4 DC who you should be bringing up with a decent set of values, not expecting that anything they want will be given to them at any cost. Gah.

Sorry.