To think Labour should save their political point scoring re Granffell tower for later on

[angelcakerocks]

I'm actually quite disgusted that Labour are yet again using a tragedy to score political points (as they did with the terrorist incident) so soon after the event.
Yes questions need to be asked, but it seems inappropriate to be doing that right now, when we should all be pulling together and focusing on the victims of this awful accident. There is no need for the political point scoring today.

Sadly, I think that very quickly the spotlight moves away from such tragedies. This is the time when most people will be up in arms about the issue and there will be pressure for change. JC's job will be to keep up the pressure after the TV cameras have left the scene.

Social housing is political
Housing is political
Funding to emergency services is political

Why is it the same people that come out re terrorist attacks and how we should slam Muslims are the same that deny the above?

BLAMING THE POOR

The residents are angry. The survivors are angry. The community is angry. We should all be angry on their behalf. Hand wringing and sympathy changes nothing. Anger and open discussion may shame those with influence into not allowing this to happen again.

I have shed tears and thought about this all night. Pottering, labelling my son's clothes for his school trip, getting ready for bed - just the kind of normal shit that people in Grenfell we're doing last night. I am heart broken and distraught on their behalf. And really fucking angry. It is about money and politics. And mothers had to throw their children out of the window last night. The most appropriate emotion right now is anger. Because anger is an energy and it drives change. And we need change.

Themayor Great post. Yes we should be angry....why on earth did this happen in one if the richest areas of the UK. To the poor? We can afford good housing
We can afford good services

Our fire fighters deserve better than this too

I'm sorry you're 'actually quite disgusted'.

However, what happened is political and Jeremy Corbyn is a politician. He has always campaigned on issues of social justice and inequality. That's what you saw, the beginnings of a political campaign because it IS POLITICAL. You did not see political point scoring.

Those people died (in part) because of their social status and because they weren't listened to. A party leader with a social conscience will of course comment as he did as soon as possible. It would have been remiss of him not to.

Anyway I regret starting the thread if it seems I'm actually perpetuating focussing on the politics rather than the tragic issue so apologies.

The tragic issue IS the politics! Do you see yet? What the fuck do people think politics is?!

How distasteful op. Using a tragic situation to have a pop at JC. You are right you shouldn't have started it and I wish I hadn't seen it.

Cannot stand point scoring in the midst of such tragedy.

A social issue is a political issue. That's what our policians are supposed to do...ask questions on the public behalf and in our interest. I agree with a previous post that mourning the dead and seeking answers are not mutually exclusive. Would it be any better/worse to ask these questions in a weeks time?

Themayor - excellent post.

I don't get the not now business, it needs to be now, and not forgotten about and swept under the carpet.

Arealhumanbeing exactly!

No, because many of the residents were saying similar things. They're angry, and rightfully so. I think he's saying what they want him to say, and let's face it, those people were not listened to before and after the news gets bored of their story, they won't be listened to once again. Let somebody who is listened to use his voice in the right way.

Seems to me that every time anyone breathes these days it's derided as 'political point scoring'.

It feels like people are trying to depoliticise these kinds of things, like they don't want this to be discussed or sorted.

JC is a politician. It's his job to make this stuff political and to try to change things.
He could just make a meely mouthed statement about how 'lessons will be learnt' and forget about it instead, would that be better.

As if you speak for those affected! Ffs. It is without a doubt political, sorry! YOU disgust me.

According to articles I am reading they've known about these problems.

No. This was a totally avoidable tragedy, caused directly by Tory policies

And it goes back through many administrations/governments.

How distasteful op. Using a tragic situation to have a pop at JC. You are right you shouldn't have started it and I wish I hadn't seen it.

This ^

There's a lot of anger that an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill forcing landlords to make homes fit for habitation was blocked - 72 of the MPs who voted against the amendment are themselves landlords.

Of course it's political and precisely what Corbyn is talking about when he says "for the many not the few".

No, because many of the residents were saying similar things. They're angry, and rightfully so. I think he's saying what they want him to say, and let's face it, those people were not listened to before and after the news gets bored of their story, they won't be listened to once again. Let somebody who is listened to use his voice in the right way.

^This

And I think the most important thing is to quickly get to the bottom of this and move swiftly to fix any other problems like this. How many other places like this exist? Are the people in them safe?

IMO, Now the exactly the right time to talk about it and push for answers, as in a couple of weeks (a week?) those saying how disrespectful it is will have forgotten it.

boney YUP.

foniks spot on. 90% of people in that building signed a petition saying they weren't happy with the safety of it, so why would they complain about Jeremy Corbyn saying we need to change something? They were asking for the same thing as he is.

For once agreeing with make here. anyone who lives in west London or has even driven through on the a40 knows that GT needed works for years and years. The Labour Party did nothing about it for 10 years. And a similar tragedy happened not that long ago under a labour government, under a labour council, only a few years ago:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/28/southwark-council-fined-570000-over-fatal-tower-block-fire

And as I said above - don't think this entire block was all social housing. A fair few of the flats were privately owned and rented out for a lot of money. I reckon you wouldn't see that (or a £9m refurb) in stoke or bootle or Halifax! Helping the residents - we were told last night that money and reheatable meals are what they want most at the moment, esp at night given that it's Ramadan - other tower blocks must now be the priority. Let the professionals do their job of finding and allocating blame.

The Tories have been in power..and funding the councils...for years.

It is their can to carry.