A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
Don’t they have any grown ups left who could tell them what an obscene idea this is?
Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington - news and discussion
- Thread starter JTG
- Start date
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oryx
Sitting on the bok of the day
An interesting piece from the BBC about a Grenfell resident and local blogger who raised his concerns about fire safety before the disaster happened.
Why no-one heard the Grenfell blogger's warnings
I think the title of the piece is debatable, though - it blames the decline of local papers and traditional local journalism. I think there's a lot more to it than that, i.e. the residents concerns were not taken seriously regardless of how they were or were not flagged up.
Why no-one heard the Grenfell blogger's warnings
I think the title of the piece is debatable, though - it blames the decline of local papers and traditional local journalism. I think there's a lot more to it than that, i.e. the residents concerns were not taken seriously regardless of how they were or were not flagged up.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
She couldn't build a lego house let alone public confidence
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
If anything the quality of that Grenfell blogger's work is far better than you'd expect in a local paper. And there's nothing in it that the people in charge shouldn't have already known at the time the revelant decisions were being made.
cupid_stunt
Where's the bloody sun?
I think it is fair comment to put a degree of blame on the decline of local papers, they have seriously gone downhill in the last 10-20 years, before that, when they were rooted in their communities, well resourced & had decent circulations they were very good at holding councils to account, councils feared them, and they were handy for running or supporting important local campaigns.
Over 20 years ago as Chairman of an action group campaigning to save a playing field from becoming a multi-storey car-park, we would never have won our battle without the two local papers getting behind our campaign. One of those papers (a decent freebie getting into 95%+ of homes) has since closed and the circulation of the other paid-for one has nosedived, getting into under 20% of homes rather than 60-65%, it would be fairly ineffective now compared with back in the day.
I've spent most my working life in local radio, newspapers & magazines, and was proud how they were an important part of the communities that they served well, sadly the big groups moved in, and the rot set in, I was lucky to escape that sector some years ago.
What pisses me off, is how the big three groups have cut-back so much, that somehow they have managed to get the BBC to fund them to take on extra reporters, yeah, as bonkers as it sounds the TV licence fee is being used to fund local newspaper reporters, mainly for the big three groups.
mhendo
Aussie in San Francisco
I want to ask a question about the upcoming memorial service (this Thursday), and this thread seemed like it might be a good place to do it.
The service is going to be broadcast on the BBC, and I was wondering if any Urbanites might have the technological capability to record it and convert the video to a file that could be uploaded and shared on the web.
I understand that this officially constitutes copyright infringement, and is often frowned upon, but I'm asking because the last two victims of the fire, including the woman pictured in BigTom's linked article, were my aunt and my cousin, Victoria King and Alexandra Atala. My mother (Vicky's sister) lives in Australia, and she can't be there for the service, but she would really like to have a copy of it to watch, and I don't think they're going to show it on Aussie television. I'm in the US, and I don't think they'll show it here either.
If this were likely to be a really popular show, I would just wait for it to air and then go searching the internet in the sort of places where pirated TV shows are shared online. But I wonder whether this would be something that people are likely to upload? Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions about how I could get a copy for my mum, that would be great.
teqniq
DisMembered
Commiserations. 
I'm sure there'll be someone who can sort it but if not a quick google...
Top 5 Ways to Record BBC iPlayer Stream on Windows/Mac
I'm sure there'll be someone who can sort it but if not a quick google...
Top 5 Ways to Record BBC iPlayer Stream on Windows/Mac
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
Have you tried the media team phone number on the memorial service link? I can't believe they (or the BBC) wouldn't sent a copy of the service out to your mum in the circumstances.
mhendo
Aussie in San Francisco
Thanks. I hadn't actually seen my aunt or cousin for almost 30 years, so for me it's not really a loss, in the sort of personal sense that you often associate with family. I remember them, but it was so long ago that I don't really have that sort of connection. It's different for mum, though. Vicky was her sister, and they grew up together.Commiserations.
Thanks.
There's no way my mother is technologically savvy enough to do it, but I might be able to work it out. Even though I'm outside the UK, I can get iPlayer shows through my DNS Unlocator subscription, so I'll give it a go.
That's definitely worth a shot. I'll check it out.
For what it's worth, my mother has nothing but praise for the people she's been in contact with regarding this whole thing. From the moment she got in touch with the authorities in London, they've kept her informed of everything they've been doing to track down her sister and neice, and confirm the deaths. She got regular phone calls and email updates, and they even organized for the Australian Federal Police to come to mum's house and collect a DNA sample for comparison. I know that there has been a lot of criticize in the political handling of so many things related to this disaster, but mum's experiences with the police and other officials has been fantastic from start to finish, she says.
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
On the front of today's times:
Apparently using a phrase such as 'blood on their hands' is extremism, and best not to consider class being an issue in these avoidable deaths. Worse than ISIS.
They've been doing a lot of this red scare stuff lately. Rupert must be worried.
Apparently using a phrase such as 'blood on their hands' is extremism, and best not to consider class being an issue in these avoidable deaths. Worse than ISIS.
They've been doing a lot of this red scare stuff lately. Rupert must be worried.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
OK first two points are pretty vague but as far as I've seen there are all sorts of groups fundraising and organising on this issue, it would be some kind of miracle if some weirdos weren't involved in a few of them. It's not that hard to do five minutes' research to make sure the group you're supporting or working with is legit, vouched for by people you trust etc.
Point three is just nothing. The council clearly does have blood on it's hands, being a union officer is a far more respectable position than being a murdoch hack, and John McDonnell is a front bench politician not some danerous fringe lunatic.
Point four is classic pot-kettle-black stuff. Unlike Mr Putin, Rupert Murdoch has for years openly boasted about his ability to control the British government.
bimble
floofy
Some of this stuff was evident the day of the demonstration a few days after the fire, people with megaphones fighting to push their narrative onto what had just happened, including various religious zealots etc. Maybe good to avoid anything that this woman is organising. Antisemitic outbursts of prominent Grenfell aid organiser
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
elbows
Well-Known Member
I'm not exactly surprised that the interim report found shocking practices and plenty of room for deadly shortcuts in the building & fire regs.
Building safety 'cuts corners' says review
Building safety 'cuts corners' says review
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
That will probably keep lawyers going for years, though I'd be amazed if its the leaseholders who have to stump up money to the landlord at the end of it - after all its not a repair to the building, it is the building being defective by design (the cladding seems to have been on there since it was built). You would also think that the leaseholders have a good case against the freeholder as well, given the danger they have been exposed to.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Yeh, you'd think so
RainbowTown
Well-Known Member
An absolute stomach churning kick in the gut for these residents. It almost borders on a sick joke. Except, of course, it isn't.
Hopefully, there will be such outrage against this that the appropriate authorities will come to their senses.
As if these people haven't been through enough already.
Casual Observer
enough
Poor first paragraph in that article. It's the leaseholders not the residents who'll be asked to foot the bill. Some of the leaseholders will be residents, of course, but I'd guess at least half of the flats in that building are owned by buy-to-let investors.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
yeh, it's the guardian.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
True, though if they did get stung with a £31,300 bill then you can bet that is going to get passed on to the people renting the flat in one way or another.
Casual Observer
enough
Fire brigades are now carrying out far more safety audits and issuing far more enforcement notices than they were pre-Grenfell. Previously, if the fire brigade deemed a building to be a safety risk, the building's freeholder was given a reasonable amount of time to arrange the necessary repairs without the need for wardens.
I'm slightly baffled by the need for wardens in this instance. Wardens don't put out fires themselves, they patrol the building and, if they discover a fire, alert the fire brigade and bang on residents' doors to get them out of the building. In other words, wardens do the job that a good fire alarm system would do. This looks like a modern building so I'm surprised it doesn't have a modern alarm system.
This looks like a freeholder cock-up to me as a) the building wasn't safe when it should have been and b) the enforcement notice could have been legally challenged before wardens were employed - the freeholder doesn't seem to have done this.
Good luck to the flat owners (even the buy-to-let ones). They'll probably have to stump up for the repairs but should have a good chance of avoiding the wardens cost which should come out of the freeholder's pocket.
EDIT: I've sobered up. Fuck the buy-to-let shits.
I'm slightly baffled by the need for wardens in this instance. Wardens don't put out fires themselves, they patrol the building and, if they discover a fire, alert the fire brigade and bang on residents' doors to get them out of the building. In other words, wardens do the job that a good fire alarm system would do. This looks like a modern building so I'm surprised it doesn't have a modern alarm system.
This looks like a freeholder cock-up to me as a) the building wasn't safe when it should have been and b) the enforcement notice could have been legally challenged before wardens were employed - the freeholder doesn't seem to have done this.
Good luck to the flat owners (even the buy-to-let ones). They'll probably have to stump up for the repairs but should have a good chance of avoiding the wardens cost which should come out of the freeholder's pocket.
EDIT: I've sobered up. Fuck the buy-to-let shits.
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teuchter
je suis teuchter
And your poor proofreading.
gosub
~#
MPs set to leave Houses of Parliament for £3.5bn restoration
what odds there are still tower blocks that haven't had their cladding sorted by the time the Parliamentary referb is completed?
what odds there are still tower blocks that haven't had their cladding sorted by the time the Parliamentary referb is completed?
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
Drove past it again today. Can't believe they've still not covered it up yet, it's such a desperately miserable sight. Just can't imagine what it must be like for families affected to have to see this day in day out, this charred stump of a building. Gives me a lump in the throat every time and I've no connection, the mental harm to those directly involved must be huge.
For some reason it gets to me more at night, the surrounding blocks have lights on, but this one stands dark.
For some reason it gets to me more at night, the surrounding blocks have lights on, but this one stands dark.
GarveyLives
Well-Known Member
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