London fire

But rar is not that simple. The government did not follow up whether councils followed the guidance the government sent to them following the 2013 inquest findings. In the area of work I'm involved in, we think policies, advice and guidance are all very well but without monitoring they may mean nothing. And K&C has been lauded over the years by Conservative Governments for its obscenely low council tax - nobody seemed to ask what was happening to services because it was so low. Well now we are finding out. But I do agree that the council seems to deserve much blame and not just for the cladding

Sorry, that was to durham and not Rigby

I said if as I am not rushing to apportion blame at all, so if is the word to use.
It doesn't matter a jot to me Rigby whether the council is run by Conservatives or all Labour or anyone else.The council are the ones who give the go ahead to all spending in their borough.

I think you should wait before you apportion blame, roses, to that Tory council.

You must have noticed the 'we feel we have so much in common' very apposite on Jo Cox's weekend.

I agree NotTooOld the media seem eagerly awaiting a riot.
People should remember that T May and the government are not at fault over the towerblock fire, but the buck stops with the council, they are the ones using money to refurbish flats, and if they have gone for the cheaper option by not using fire retardent materials, and/or not installing gas pipes properly, then the blame is with them.

Yes, whitewave, that's why I put it on. Couldn't find a link, but anyone on facebook can link it here.
It's good to know that they help each other, and care about each other.

act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/517?t=6&akid=469.124249.uG6zOM

Spread the word on facebook.

It is quite extraordinary how life does indeed carry on. Nothing makes you more aware of that than babies and young children.

I have experienced traumatic events in my life and it always strikes me afresh.

That was an uplifting post dj

Yes I agree about life going on for example this weekend there are all the parties in Jo Cox's memory. I think my problem is anything at the moment which flaunts wealth and privilege which the Royal Family does and the Mansion House Dinner ( which was cancelled). It's wealth, privilege and its resultant inequalities and the very normalisation of that inequality over the years which is one of the root causes of GT. Pared down would be OK

"To the London Fire Brigade from the Syrian Civil Defence [White Helmets] in Daraa, Southern Syria:

We were saddened to hear about the loss of souls in the Grenfell Tower fire, including Mohammad al-Haj Ali, a Syrian from our home of Daraa who had fled to London seeking safety from death and destruction.

We appreciate your efforts to search for bodies for days in a row and we feel your pain because this horror is our daily reality. In Daraa, we’re under the heaviest attacks we’ve ever seen in this deadly war. Hundreds of airstrikes have destroyed entire neighbourhoods and fires are everywhere. Just like you, our teams are rushing towards the blazes and we do all we can to rescue the injured.

The past 16 days have seen 88 people killed and nearly 35,000 civilians displaced from their homes.

A civil defence centre was targeted and destroyed, and 5 volunteers were injured in the bombing -- as you know it’s a terrible thing to see your teammates suffer.

You have been so generous to us, donating equipment to our teams when you met with our teammates in London. We’ve received trainings from British experts in search-and-rescue and firefighting. Who knows, we might have been trained by the same people. And who knows we might also be saving the lives of the friends of Mohammad al-Haj Ali here in Daraa.

We feel we have so much in common. We all risk our own lives to save as many lives as possible as fast as possible. Our hearts are with you and we wish we could help you in your search for victims.

We send you strength for your mission and we hope to meet you one day.

The Syria Civil Defence [White Helmets] of Daraa"

ooops Beckham not Beckenham!!

Rigby46

It's a difficult one, re. carrying on events as normal. On Thursday eve I attended "Taste of London" in Regents Park, today I saw people there sunbathing in bikinis. Life goes on, and I guess the Queen took that attitude today too.

I'm not so sure about the Beckenham boy either.

The 3 celebs I know about are Adele, Lily Allen and Rita Ora - all dyed in the wool Londoners. Lily Allen spoke well on the new and Rita Ora got stuck in sorting through the donations early on. Adele was unrecognisable. I don't have a problem with them (can't stand Lily Allen, but she means well). The Beckham boy I could do without.

Nice examples Lillie

Some celebrities, yes, just want to be seen. Jamie Oliver, however, has said all the residents can pop over to his restaurant at Westfield and eat and drink for free. Stella McCartney has sent her chef (!!!) to prepare food too. Practical help, not just swanning around.

Re the TV interviews with victims of the fire, did anyone else feel that some of the TV interviewers were actually inciting people to rail against the government by putting words into people's mouths - 'how terrible that you've lost your family/home/possessions, you must feel it's all the fault of the government and you must be comparing your former home to those of the rich people who live in the area aren't you?' Of course, people agreed. I'm not sure of the ethics of all that.

Yes I'm uncomfortable with the celebs ( I'm sure many of us are).Perhsps instead of turning up, Beckham junior could spend the time having a word with his tax avoiding father about the fact that there would be money in the coffers to help the poor if the obscenely rich just paid there fair share of taxes. And yes, whilst I liked the Queen's announcement this morning I'd have liked it better if the whole thing had been cancelled or at least pared down

Strangely enough, I have BBC news24 on and I haven't noticed. Perhaps I just don't look for them.

I think these celebrities are using a tragedy to further their own careers and that is deplorable. I read that one of the Beckham boys turned up with a minder, it is said he has a book of photographs being published soon

does anyone else think the show of wealth and power on the balcony at Buck house today was just rubbing these poor peoples noses in it....have these parasitic royals no compassion or conscience ? Or are they just showing their true colours ..they only really care about themselves

Does anyone else feel uncomfortable at the number of "celebrities" turning up, complete with photographers? This was a tragic event in which people have lost their lives and others have lost everything they own - it is not a photo opportunity or a tourist attraction. Please don't tell me they are there to show support, thousands of people all over the country are showing their support without feeling the necessity to turn up and have their photo taken.

The final total will almost certainly never be known, as it seems to me that there were many people who's immigrant legality is questionable, and almost certainly have melted back into society.

May of course has always deported, first and asked questions later, so I guess this will be in their minds when reporting anyone a bit dodgy.

What it needs first and foremost is genuine political will - the opposition can't do it on their own. Governments who want to can move mountains - but does this government really care beyond getting through the next few days/weeks? Rhetorical question of course

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi81KCYksXUAhXqAsAKHWEhAN4QFggyMAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cps.gov.uk%2Fpublications%2Fdocs%2Ffoi_disclosures%2F2016%2Fdisclosure_4.pdf&usg=AFQjCNE4uBmO5ncpznxfnVcJkPhmva1wDA