Bloody Hell 999's what you posted above is scary, surely it can't have been a deliberate act, that is beyond comprehension if true...... Regarding Mrs May she's somewhat "damned if she does, damned if she doesn't" No doubt if she had spoken to the local people she'd been on the receiving end of a stream of abuse as she's deemed to be the rich elite whereas it's the deemed poor that have suffered, we've already seen these arguments being spouted on the news programmes and it's a disturbing trend that has manifested itself recently. Maybe she took the view that she couldn't add anything by talking to them, I dunno, maybe she's just badly advised....... The response from the local community has been remarkable, what is needed now is the same remarkable response from those in charge to ensure that how this tragedy happened is established and to ensure that it never happens again....
I've just seen that the police have said that based on what they know, there's nothing to suggest at this time that the fire was started deliberately. Although good news in one sense it's worrying that the fire escaped the flat so quickly without any assistance.
I have a sinking feeling that those responsible for installing the cladding ( if that is found to have accelerated the blaze ) might well wriggle out of culpability if, as it looks, they were operating within current UK legislation. Perhaps the Kensington tenants association will be found to have been negligent instead. Still very angry about this but might end up being an ' in hindsight' kind of outcome, and sadly I just expect new regulations to come into force and a hefty fine..
When I worked for Southwark Council through the 90s and 00s it was not uncommon for a contractor to request a variation notice on an approved specification to use products of 'a similar specification', which was where the contractor would often make a financial killing. It meant they could use cheaper copies of well known fittings. The result was regular failures of such but the Properties Dept always seemed reluctant to take action in such instances. I always felt there was a far too cosy relationship between the contractors and the council staff who were supposed to be monitoring them, probably to cover their own incompetence. One Clerk of Works was an alcoholic and a health and safety hazard in his own right...
An interesting take on the slow release of info... http://taxileaks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/govt-whitewash-puts-d-notice-gag-on.html
Looking very ugly in North Kensington at the moment. The anger is of course entirely understandable and justified, but I really hope no one turns to violence. The anguish is already being exploited, lots of Socialist Worker placards in evidence. I'm still finding the media coverage, mainly the BBC because that's what I watch/listen to, distressing.
Yep. It's being used as another stick with which to beat the Tories. Mind you, I've had it with May now. She has zero empathy and is also getting the worst advice imaginable. The Queen on the other hand, as always, gets it just right! What an utter nightmare for those people involved!!
I think politically this has finished the Tories off, May said she'd get them out of this mess and has proceeded to further alienate herself from reality, I can't see anyway back for them...
It's not just Tories that are getting it, Col. Sadiq Khan has been getting some stick too. But then he actually had the minerals to speak to residents.
I think its strange so many people are issuing blame on so many things while the facts of this are not know. They are still look for bodies!!
There is no party politics to be played on this. Even if it's tracked back to reductions in standards due to cuts to local government funding, that's what we (in general) voted for when we elected the Tories in (albeit with the Liberals) on a deficit cutting platform, which they never hid from us. I have no idea if this contributed to the disaster, I hope not. May's obvious discomfort in engaging with people didn't cause this, she didn't deserve the 'murderer' shouts she got today. She is a zombie PM now though. If the 'D' notice rumour is true I'm sure it's because they fear rioting and violence rather than any attempt to protect themselves. But the number of deaths has to come out soon, not sure what purpose this would serve. It's all ****ing horrible. This, the terror attacks, Brexit - exactly the time when our politicians have to rise above and work together (just like ordinary people have done with the endless tragedies) and it's the last thing they think of doing. Labour playing everything for advantage, the Tories being held hostage by the DUP, it would all be a joke if it were funny. Portillo, a man who I rather admire (love his train journeys) even though I don't agree with a lot of his views, was visibly furious with both the Tories and Labour on This Week last night.
UK-based company Omnis supplied the panels used for cladding in Grenfell Tower. They have told the BBC's Jim Reed that they were asked to supply one of the cheaper, more flammable versions available then. The company can supply more expensive, fire-******ant versions of the panels now - a type called Reynobond FR - but it is not clear if they were available at the time.
There should be no party politics played when the pain is so raw, but the anger that is being voiced is based on a realisation that austerity has left our public services woefully underfunded and that people speaking out against cuts have been ignored, with tragic results. It is political.
Omnis didn't manufacturer the panels. They supplied and 'fabricated' them, basically means cut them into shape. Made by US-based Arconic.
Lily Allen and the row on how Grenfell Tower's death toll is being reported By Imran Rahman-Jones Newsbeat reporter please log in to view this image At least 30 people are now confirmed dead after the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in west London. Many people are missing and police warn that they may never be able to identify all of the victims. Some, including celebrities, claim the true death toll is being suppressed by the media. Singer Lily Allen was criticised on Thursday after saying she believed the real death toll is being covered up. Rapper Akala, who has spoken up about social issues for years, also claimed the true number is being played down. More related stories please log in to view this image Grenfell Tower: What you can do to help please log in to view this image Student helps Grenfell victims before exam please log in to view this image 'Amazing' emergency services at Grenfell Tower The BBC understands as many as 76 people are missing, feared dead. Why is there a row over the fatality numbers? please log in to view this image Image caption Singer Lily Allen says that the low number reported is "giving people false hope" Many people on social media are speculating that the media, which is still reporting the confirmed death toll as 30, 'know' that the true number is much higher but are not publishing actual numbers. It is up to the Metropolitan Police to release the number to the media and the public. Media outlets report what is officially known as soon as they hear. Why does the media stick to the police line? please log in to view this image Image caption (L-R) Commander Stuart Cundy of the Met Police, Steve Apter of London Fire Brigade and Paul Woodrow from the london ambulance service hold a press conference There are several reasons why the media is very reluctant to put out any other number when it comes to confirmed deaths. Firstly, they want to be accurate. Speculating on a high fatality figure when there is no way to be absolutely certain of that number could cause problems, for example, by worrying the public. The police also have a responsibility to be accurate. In this case, they have given an indication that they think the number will rise beyond 30 deaths - but they would not speculate on an exact number because the final death toll could be very different to anything they speculate. In an incident like a fire or a bomb explosion, it may be very difficult to identify bodies. In the case of Grenfell Tower, Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy said there was "a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify everybody". The fire service was unable to reach the top of the tower when they arrived and so could not search for bodies or human remains on the top floors of the tower. The fire was still burning hours after it began on Wednesday. please log in to view this image How are the numbers calculated? When an incident like the Grenfell Tower fire happens, a "multi-agency meeting" is called. It can involve representatives from the police, ambulance service, NHS, fire service and even an environmental health agent. No one agency will have the exact figure straight away, but they coordinate to pool their information on deaths. So the police and fire services would report on bodies found at the scene. The ambulance service and hospitals would be able to provide numbers and updates on casualties and people in hospital. It is up to the police to announce the number of fatalities and this is the number that the media use. According to the Met Police's Major Incident Procedure Manual, "there should be no speculation on fatality figures and the police should only confirm the number of dead after they have a true and accurate picture. "Confirmed fatality figures may only be released after consultation with Police Gold." Police Gold is the commander in charge of the multi-agency meeting following a major incident. please log in to view this image The BBC has issued the following statement on its methodology in reporting casualty numbers "The BBC understands that at present there could be as many as 76 people missing in the GRENFELL TOWER FIRE. The police have said that 30 people are confirmed dead, we know the ID of three dead. It is likely that the 30 are part of the 76, but we don't know this for sure. "This information has been sourced through a mixture of reporting by BBC News staff on the ground, contacts to the BBC from families and friends including via social media and other media sources." Will the numbers go up at all? please log in to view this image Image caption A firefighter works through the rubble of Grenfell Tower The BBC has been reporting that the death toll is expected to rise. But it won't give an actual figure until it gets one from the Met Police. Increased fatality figures might come from the 24 people still in hospital, 12 of whom are in critical care. They may also come from the evidence found in the burned tower as it is searched. This might take a long time - The London Fire Brigade says the search will be "a slow and painstaking process". So while the official death toll may seem low, it has always been said that the final number of people to have died is expected to be higher than originally reported.
