oh dear PMs going to get a lot of hate well deserved.

[hayli]

may couldn't have the decency to visit the victims of Grenfell tower ' due to security threat'
but HM the queen and Prince William were OK to show kindness to those effected.

She's too busy arseing around with the DUP any trying to save her own skin after she dashed off to the palace last Friday before anybody could tell her otherwise!

She may not be a 'people person' but I honestly don't think you can run the country without being one

Now how on earth do we get her out??

I honestly don't think JC is trying to look good, he seems to actually care about the people in this country

You don't go to meet survivors and bereaved families because someone has told you to, Theresa, you need to do it because (a) it's part of your job and (b) it is the right and decent thing to do. Our 91 year old Queen managed to visit and I'm pretty sure that similar security arrangements are in place for her.

Exactly, she's clearly gone under duress because she's been told to!

Cadenza, I agree with you. He's right in there. Maybe Im just being cynical, but I can't remember him visiting the site of previous disasters. Did he visit Manchester? Borough Market?

People were angry enough with Sadiq Khan yesterday. They might just attack May if she turns up - and it would be awaste of police time protecting her when they have other things to be doing. Plus, hopefully she's off starting an inquiry into what happened at Grenfell Tower.

She is completely lacking in warmth and compasssion. Do you think we notice/comment on that more because she's a woman and women are 'supposed' to be more compassionate? When's the last time someone criticised a male politician for being cold-hearted/lacking compassion?

Someone on twitter said she was booed as she arrived at the hospital.

She always strikes me as someone who has a well thumbed copy of "How to pass among humans virtually undetected" under her nest bed

I agree it's not right but doesn't anyone feel that corbyn is using this opportunity to look good... Or am I super cynical?! I may have watched one too many episodes of the good wife recently.... Theres always an ulterior motive!

Thing is about JC, you look at his record and you'll see that prior to his recent 'fame', you've got the evidence of about 30 odd years of doing the same... from claiming practically no expenses for decades right up to things like this. You don't even have to agree with his policies to know that one thing you can't call him is insincere. I honestly think that's part of the reason why he gets such a massive positive reaction.

JC was definitely at the Manchester vigil, not sure about Borough Market. I really think he does genuinely care about people; I've seen bits and pieces of footage going back over 30 years and he seems to be remarkably consistent for a politician. We're not used to it, no wonder people are suspicious of him.

Cross post there Fizzy

So rather than be briefed on the problems and start to understand what's needed and then get on with her day job you would rather have her court popularity just so Mumsnet can feel righteous.

Yes he visited Manchester, I remember seeing that. I don't know if he visited Borough Market but I'm guessing so. And I don't always have a lot of time for him but he's coming across as a genuine human being.

Yes, people would have been angry at Theresa May. But I'm sure she could have met a small number of people. She's not coming across as a good communicator.

Newsnight last night suggested an inquiry was not ideal and there should be an inquest. I'm not up on all the legal implications though.

I think Theresa May is trying to do her job - but leading the country, which she wants to do, involves turning up when disasters happen. It might be harrowing, and there might be anger directed at you, but hiding away just makes her look weak and inhuman (or even more so than she did already).

I'm not sure it's courting popularity as such, just showing that she's there and that she cares why they've ended up in this horrific situation.
Even David Cameron managed that.
TM hides when she's most needed to show solidarity no matter what.

The DUP called her back for a meeting?

I don't think visiting would have been 'courting popularity'. But it is what people expect. And the fact that she was there and didn't speak to any of the survivors is really - I'm not sure what word, unimpressive? disappointing? not being a leader?

She didn't have to be there all day, and she could still have had the briefing and gone back to getting on with her job, ordering the enquiry etc (and I suspect most of the information in the briefing was delivered before she got there) plus spend a short while trying to show some sympathy or empathy. And that's not an expectation of her because she's a woman - I expect that of anyone who wants to lead a country. Give some sense that you're in it to make a difference and make things better for people.

I'm not a fan of Theresa May, nor am I a Conservative. But I do find all this criticism of her misplaced and I do slightly despair of all the media coverage. Something horrific has happened. What's important is that the emergency services can do their job, that the people made homeless are rehoused, the people desperately searching for the missing are helped and that steps are taken to ascertain what happened and to stop it happening again. Actions are far, far more important than words. What can any politician say to a grieving relative that can make a difference to them?

Some people are good at chatting to people they haven't met before; others aren't. I am. My DH isn't - but he's a far more empathetic person than I am. Some people are intensely private and don't like showing their emotions in public. It doesn't mean they don't care. As far as I'm concerned, Theresa May's job is to set some serious action in motion and I'll judge her by that, not on whether she's provided Sky News with some good coverage.

If she had gone to visit the survivors she would have been accused of trading on their grief, and I read a comment that she didn't want to intrude. I always hate seeing pictures of victims with mikes shoved in their faces having to try to process what's happened, and then having to deal with the media circus that would accompany the PM, would be too much.

I think she focusses on the practical as that's perhaps where she feels she can make a difference.

That's the beauty of HM, she is above all the political crap and can visit and make people feel listened to and that the country is concerned as opposed to your grief being used as a political football.

She should have gone. I don't understand how anyone can defend her decision in not going. She is absolutely disgusting.

If I was in my hospital bed and heard of a looming visit from her I would tell the nurses to keep her away.

The Queen is no better - she's just more practised. She doesn't give a sh1t about the people of Grenfell.
The Queen and the monarchy epitomize inequality - everyone is born equal, about royals who are born to be our rulers and live a life of unimaginable luxury.
Inequality caused this fire, and the Queen/monarchy do everything in their power to keep that level of inequality entrenched so they continue to lead their lives unaffected.
Disgusting.

This tragedy isn't a political issue. It's gross to turn it into one and mask the real issue of responsibility.

The people responsible are those who agreed and organised and installed flammable cladding to go on a high rise building for no benefit.

I don't even think it can be blamed on budgetary contraints because they did have the option of having NO cladding and this would have been FREE!

There are clearly people directly responsible - those who knew flammable material was going onto this building. They need to go to jail.

I mean really, do flats lose a lot of heat out of their roofs . Of course they fucking don't. Cladding was useless and dangerous and expensive.

tbf she is pretty busy what with imminent brexit and dup

That's no excuse. I expect the residents of Grenfell Tower had pretty busy lives too before their homes burned down and they were left homeless/hospitalised/bereaved/dead. They didn't get an awful lot of choice.

Sometimes stuff comes up which is more important to deal with than your self-inflicted to-do list.

Neutrogena We are not all born equal though are we? How can we be?

You do realise she actually has other things to do don't you? Unlike the Queen who has *k all to do. Little things like running the country, sort out the DUP deal, deal with the fallout from this etc.? How exactly is yet another person turning up to have their photo taken shaking hands going to improve these peoples' lives? Every time some well-meaning (photo-opportunity seeking) individual turns up at the scene it disrupts work - work to secure the scene, to look for more bodies. I bet the police & fire brigade would rather have the place to themselves to be able to get on efficiently.
But hey, it's a good opportunity for a Labour voter to have a go at TM isn't it?

Essentially I think Corbyn is a decent bloke but is using this event to promote his human side. May hasn't got what it takes to face up to those who have been effected. She just doesn't seem to get it, which shows she has poor judgement and shouldn't be at the table during the Brexit talks.

Sometimes stuff comes up which is more important to deal with than your self-inflicted to-do list.

I agree. But I think getting an inquiry in motion, ascertaining which other buildings in the council housing stock may also be at risk and releasing funds for the homeless is far, far more important than doing a photo shoot at the community centre.