Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington - news and discussion

[gawkrodger]

I see Corbyn and Labour are now coming out and saying empty homes in the area should be requistioned!

Good on 'em.

The difference between May and Corbyn on this disaster could not be more different

 

[Ted Striker]

I strongly suspect that over the next few months, RBKC and KCTMO will wheel out sheaves of documents showing how thoroughly they "consulted" the residents through opinion surveys and informal "events" in community spaces. Analysis of this consultation will show that far from offering choices, the options offered were what the landlord wanted, not what the tenants wanted.

Personally seen their 'form' for completely misrepresenting these 'consultations'.

Very simple cherry picking of lone supporting voices, and restricting the actual surveyed population.

Went to one 'consultation' that nearly ended up in a riot as they were telling residents their garages were being scrapped to sell the area as a trendy hot-desking space, with all textbook hipster credentials. When the report came out that the palns "generally well received" I took a long time to calm down (again!).

The Subterrania/Neighbourhood/SupperClub/12 Acklam Road/Mode/Show-Your-Age-By-Telling-Me-What-You-Knew-It-As club was a constant source of complaints from the residents that were opposite it, and could hear the bass every time the doors opened. 100's of houses were literally 15m/across a cobbled street from the doors of the club. Turns out their objections weren't considered relevant, nor where they notified of any licensing changes (to appeal against them) as they didn't share a connecting wall to the nightclub

Slightly unrelated, but as an example to raise some suspicion they are probably crooked, as well as incompetent...I wasn't close to it, but the local library was sold to a prestigious (and tough to get in) prep school. After months of protests (obviously). Some co-incidence the guy in charge had applied to have his kids go to said prep school...

(Again, all very trivial, but just 3 examples off the top of my head where the consultation process is bollocks.)

They are in charge of probably the most lucrative underused (privately) real estate in the country. And they will try to do anything to maximize it and take it out of the locals' hands.

 

[agricola]

I doubt there's any conspiracy to cover this up - the media tends to exaggerate, not understate body counts and papers today have unanimously been leading with the safety angle, from the Daily Star to the Financial Times.

One can only hope that, if the reports are true, they aren't reporting it until there are people in place to deal properly with the families left behind - not putting people in bedsits or hostels and phone numbers to call if they are upset, but real homes with real support ready to go.

 

[1927]

View attachment 109388
strange picture to have chosen

They know what's it's like to have one's home burn down. Their gran's house burnt down a few years ago. That got sorted pretty fucking quickly!

 

[Pickman's model]

They know what's it's like to have kbe's hime burn down. Their gran's house burnt down a few years ago. That got sorted pretty fucking quickly!

No doubt why they're laughing

 

[JTG]

FBU point out that counselling services for firefighters in London were cut by Boris Johnson

 

[Pickman's model]

green energy concerns? So now it's the lefties that are to blame? Fuck off!

Green energy by no means the preserve of the left

 

[Pickman's model]

but have you seen some of the comments 'below the line'? The worst of humanity!!

Don't read comments in newspapers unless you want your blood pressure to rocket

 

[bimble]

i don't know how to spoiler a screenshot.
This is really hard to read. Media intrusion beyond what you'd think possible, if true.

 

[1927]

Or to arrange funding for immediate temporary accommodation, or start working to open up housing stock in the borough for residents, or guarantee funding for a rebuild, or alter legislation to allow councils to do it themselves, or a million other things that the useless fuck will completely avoid by saying 'lessons will be learned'.

She hasn't even said lessons will he learned, she said lessons MAY be learned!!!!

 

[Pickman's model]

i don't know how to spoiler a screenshot.
This is really hard to read. Media intrusion beyond what you'd think possible, if true.
View attachment 109425

[s poiler]...[/sp oiler]

 

[Yossarian]

One can only hope that, if the reports are true, they aren't reporting it until there are people in place to deal properly with the families left behind - not putting people in bedsits or hostels and phone numbers to call if they are upset, but real homes with real support ready to go.

Mail etc. seem to have been following standard procedure so far: Find someone who says there might be hundreds dead, then put "Hundreds Dead" in quotation marks in their headlines.

 

[existentialist]

I hope this isn't true...

As I understand it, they are very careful not to confirm deaths until they have a pretty solid handle on the number. It may be frustrating, but I am sure there is not a conspiracy associated with it.

 

[Teaboy]

They know what's it's like to have one's home burn down. Their gran's house burnt down a few years ago. That got sorted pretty fucking quickly!

Not to mention the 350 million pound tart up one of her other places is getting. Yet we must all remember that sprinkler systems are just too expensive for social housing.

 

[Teaboy]

FBU point out that counselling services for firefighters in London were cut by Boris Johnson

They don't need counselling. They can wrap themselves in the warm blanket of May's kind and sincere words.

 

[J Ed]

I see Corbyn and Labour are now coming out and saying empty homes in the area should be requistioned!

Good on 'em.

The difference between May and Corbyn on this disaster could not be more different

From Harman and Lammy too.

 

[stethoscope]

Where the fuck's the government? Where the fuck's the council? Where the fuck's the mayor?

 

[Barking_Mad]

Just to be clear my tweet was mainly concerned with the number of deaths, not the claims of a cover up.

 

[Buckaroo]

Where the fuck's the government? Where the fuck's the council? Where the fuck's the mayor?

They're all there. Look at them.

 

[teuchter]

Personally seen their 'form' for completely misrepresenting these 'consultations'.

Very simple cherry picking of lone supporting voices, and restricting the actual surveyed population.

Went to one 'consultation' that nearly ended up in a riot as they were telling residents their garages were being scrapped to sell the area as a trendy hot-desking space, with all textbook hipster credentials. When the report came out that the palns "generally well received" I took a long time to calm down (again!).

The Subterrania/Neighbourhood/SupperClub/12 Acklam Road/Mode/Show-Your-Age-By-Telling-Me-What-You-Knew-It-As club was a constant source of complaints from the residents that were opposite it, and could hear the bass every time the doors opened. 100's of houses were literally 15m/across a cobbled street from the doors of the club. Turns out their objections weren't considered relevant, nor where they notified of any licensing changes (to appeal against them) as they didn't share a connecting wall to the nightclub

Slightly unrelated, but as an example to raise some suspicion they are probably crooked, as well as incompetent...I wasn't close to it, but the local library was sold to a prestigious (and tough to get in) prep school. After months of protests (obviously). Some co-incidence the guy in charge had applied to have his kids go to said prep school...

(Again, all very trivial, but just 3 examples off the top of my head where the consultation process is bollocks.)

They are in charge of probably the most lucrative underused (privately) real estate in the country. And they will try to do anything to maximize it and take it out of the locals' hands.

I largely agree about consultation processes.

Regarding the last bit though - as far as I can make out, this particular project was not one that involved selling off space to private developers. It involved improvements to all of the existing housing units and communal areas plus the addition of 7 new ones at low level. All of those new units being for social rent.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Where the fuck's the government? Where the fuck's the council? Where the fuck's the mayor?

Don't you worry, I am sure they are working their soft hands to the bones sorting this out in the background, They have probably decided to make too many appearences as it will get in the way of the REAL issues. As our Strong And Stable PM in waiting recently said - lets get to work!

 

[Kaka Tim]

The usual cause of people hoying stuff out of their windows, when it does happen, is rubbish chutes that are semi-permanently blocked. Back when the towers went up, caretakers constantly checked and rodded the chutes. Nowadays a job has to be raised to clear a single blockage, sometimes meaning a day or two days of delay.

my chute was blocked for months on one occasions. usually would be at least 3 or 4 days. resident caretakers make blocs much safer and better maintained - but a rarity these days.

 

[teqniq]

Where the fuck's the government? Where the fuck's the council? Where the fuck's the mayor?

I, like you don't know about the first two but it appears unsurprisingly that Sadiq Khan had a somewhat hostile reception from residents and neighbours, but at least he spoke to them, unlike somebody else.

Sadiq Khan confronted on live TV by furious Grenfell Tower residents

 

[danny la rouge]

FBU point out that counselling services for firefighters in London were cut by Boris Johnson

As with so much else in this, I can't find the words to express the anger.

 

[stethoscope]

I, like you don't know about the first two but it appears unsurprisingly that Sadiq Khan had a somewhat hostile reception from residents and neighbours, but at least he spoke to them, unlike somebody else.

Sadiq Khan confronted on live TV by furious Grenfell Tower residents

He had absolutely fuck all of practical worth to say from what I've seen.

 

[stethoscope]

It's just, local communities and the wider public can do so much in such a short space out of their own time, money and resources, and yet anybody with any power and control are fucking useless.

 

[1927]

Any building which will have an impact on a conservation area will be assessed in this way. It's assessed because of the existence of the conservation area, not because of who lives in the conservation area. If such an assessment was not made, the planning officer would not be doing their job according to planning legislation. Do you have an objection to the basic principle of conservation areas?

Surely the impact assessment would be in the new construction rather than in an existing one!

 

[SpookyFrank]

He had absolutely fuck all of practical worth to say from what I've seen.

So he's doing his very best 'Sadiq Khan' impression then.

 

[teqniq]

It's just, local communities and the wider public can do so much in such a short space out of their own time, money and resources, and yet anybody with any power and control are fucking useless.

It definitely looks that way. Well in fact it is. From what I've seen/heard it appears that the volunteers have been completely overwhelmed with contributions, hoping for some help from the council such as additional storage. Couple of officials have looked in on them but practical help? None

 

[redcogs]

How long before before serious victim blaming begins, or some fabricated allegation of deliberate fire raising sabotage to save political necks gets underway? The anger needs a channel to put these deregulating privatising gangster fuckers on their backs.