London tower block inferno

[Dutto]

Immediately after Mr. Corbyn was elected as the Leader of the Labour Party he was persistently attacked by the right-wing press because he had a history of being a Socialist.

Fancy that! A Labour Party Leader who was a committed Socialist. They must have been terrified, so every time the glitterati mocked Mr. Corbyn and every time I saw a negative report about him in a right-wing newspaper I thought "He must be doing something right."

To prove how frightened they were at the thought of a Socialist being the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Cameron (the Conservative Prime Minister at the time) actually stood up in Parliament and suggested that Mr. Corbyn should resign his leadership "For the good of the country." My estimation of Mr. Corbyn soared.

In the last year Mr. Corbyn has put forward alternative ways to manage this country of ours and every time a right-wing newspaper has attempted to mis-quote him or deride what he has to say; and every time that they do it I think "Yep! He's still doing something right!"

Believe me, the Conservatives and their right-wing paymasters are running scared; and about time! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[pms67]

Thank God I'm not a Conservative,what an embarrassing bunch.
Night night all 😆

 

[Dutto]

I see that we are up to eleven high-rise buildings in the UK with flammable cladding.

I just heard an "expert" on the TV telling us that the cladding in question is banned in the countries where it is manufactured.

My immediate questions are:

1. Why are they still making it and exporting it?

2. Why are we still importing it and using it?

3. Why are we not making our own non-flammable cladding?

The mind boggles!

 

[shepp]

Thank God I'm not a Conservative,what an embarrassing bunch.
Night night all 😆

Yes I bet you'd hate to have a government in power

 

[shepp]

:whistle: :thumb:

 

[Godsdog]

Thank God I'm not a Conservative,what an embarrassing bunch.
Night night all 😆

im more embarresed by the fact the labour party has been hijacked by the loony left and bear no relation to the party that I supported as a young man,at least the torys are consistent

 

[Druncan]

As a volunteer firefighter that has thankfully only had to deal with stuff up here, nothing compared to colleagues on the mainland. I am proud to be part of an emergency service that continues to deliver, despite government cutbacks and excuses. To me the strength of a community is it's ability to care for those that really need.
Sadly our 'leaders' give platitudes and cut services in the name of efficiency? Just maybe they should consider doing volunteer time as a trauma nurses assistant, or talking to police/firefighter's about how they feel after a big shout, before opening their fat greedy gobs for more feed from their troughs,,,

 

[Dutto]

im more embarresed by the fact the labour party has been hijacked by the loony left and bear no relation to the party that I supported as a young man,at least the torys are consistent

The Labour Party has NOT been hi-jacked, it has returned to the Socialist policies on which it was formed.

The Labour Party has NEVER been the "loony left". :nono: :nono:

"The Labour Party was created in 1900: a new party for a new century.
Its formation was the result of many years of hard effort by working people,
trade unionists and socialists, united by the goal of changing the
British Parliament to represent the interests of everybody."​

http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/history-of-the-labour-party

At the last election 12,874,985 people voted for the Socialist policies put forward by the Labour Party. :thumb: :thumb:

PS

1. The word "loony" is an informal noun defined as "A mad or silly person." and is derived from the word "lunatic".

2. The far left of the political spectrum (derogatorily called the "loony-left" by the right-wing media) is usually reserved for those who believe in the teaching of Marx and Lenin. Their beliefs are encompassed within the doctrines of Communism.

3. The UK Communist Party received a total of 1,229 votes in the 2015 General Election. I can find no reference to the Communist Party fielding any Parliamentary Candidates in the 2017 General Election. At the moment they have no representatives on any of the governing bodies of the UK.

 

[pms67]

Immediately after Mr. Corbyn was elected as the Leader of the Labour Party he was persistently attacked by the right-wing press because he had a history of being a Socialist.

Fancy that! A Labour Party Leader who was a committed Socialist. They must have been terrified, so every time the glitterati mocked Mr. Corbyn and every time I saw a negative report about him in a right-wing newspaper I thought "He must be doing something right."

To prove how frightened they were at the thought of a Socialist being the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Cameron (the Conservative Prime Minister at the time) actually stood up in Parliament and suggested that Mr. Corbyn should resign his leadership "For the good of the country." My estimation of Mr. Corbyn soared.

In the last year Mr. Corbyn has put forward alternative ways to manage this country of ours and every time a right-wing newspaper has attempted to mis-quote him or deride what he has to say; and every time that they do it I think "Yep! He's still doing something right!"

Believe me, the Conservatives and their right-wing paymasters are running scared; and about time! :thumb: :thumb:

im more embarresed by the fact the labour party has been hijacked by the loony left and bear no relation to the party that I supported as a young man,at least the torys are consistent

Consistent

 

[pms67]

Yes I bet you'd hate to have a government in power

Such a powerful government
Strong and stable

 

[Thumper]

im more embarresed by the fact the labour party has been hijacked by the loony left and bear no relation to the party that I supported as a young man,at least the torys are consistent

Corbyn just put Labour back where it was before Blair centralised them. Assuming the Labour you voted for as a young man was pre-Blair (apologies if I'm overestimating your age), then aren't they actually closer?

 

[Vambrace]

It's completely of her own making. She obviously believed (perhaps she just wanted to believe?) all the polls that told her she was going to get a stonking majority. I'm enjoying watching her hoisted by her own petard/hubris. Let it be a lesson for politicians of all stripes not to take the electorate for granted

I know we (quite rightly) have a deep mistrust of polls these days but I believe that if the general election had happened on the day she called it then she would have gained the increased majority she wanted. Partly due to Corbyn's strong campaign but largely due to May's atrocious one the gap closed far more than most people expected.

The TV debate business was a farce - personally I think they cheapen politics and shouldn't happen but to take a unilateral position of non-attendance, particularly as sitting Prime Minister, is a sign of weakness.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

BBC News -

Grenfell Tower: Fire started in Hotpoint fridge freezer, say police

The Grenfell Tower fire in London started in a fridge freezer, and outside cladding and insulation failed safety tests, police say.

The Metropolitan Police say manslaughter, health and safety, and fire safety charges will be considered.

Seventy-nine people are feared dead after the blaze destroyed 151 homes in the Kensington tower block and nearby.

The government has ordered immediate testing of the Hotpoint fridge freezer that was involved.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said 14 residential high-rise buildings in nine local authority areas have now been found with cladding that raises safety concerns.

Portsmouth Council, Hounslow Council and Islington Council are the latest local authorities to say they are taking precautionary measures over cladding on their buildings.

Meanwhile, the Department for Education said all bodies responsible for safety in schools in England are being instructed to carry out checks to identify any buildings that may require further investigation.

Whirlpool, which owns Hotpoint, said: "We offer our most profound condolences to the victims, those who have lost loved ones, homes, and possessions, and to their friends and families."

Nine of those who died on 14 June have been formally identified so far. Nine people remain in hospital, with three people still in critical care.

Police said the fire had not been started deliberately and the speed with which the fire spread was "unexpected".

Preliminary tests on the samples of insulation showed it burned soon after the test started, and more quickly than the cladding tiles.

However, they both failed the police's safety tests - which are similar to those being carried out by the UK government.


What do I do if I have a Hotpoint fridge freezer?

By Kevin Peachey, BBC News

Anyone who has a white Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP or graphite fridge freezer model number FF175BG should register their appliance with the manufacturer to receive any updates.

Generally, the model number is found on a bar code on a sticker behind the salad container in the fridge.

These models were discontinued in 2009, but 64,000 were sold between March 2006 and July 2009. It is not known how many are still in use.

Owners should ring 0800 316 3826 or visit the Hotpoint website.

Fires connected to fridge freezers and other electrical appliances are relatively common.

More general advice on registering an appliance, should there be a recall, and other safety tips are available online on charity Electrical Safety First's page.

Some 250 specialist investigators have been deployed to find out what happened.

Every company involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower will also be looked at as part of the investigation.


Det Supt Fiona McCormack said all criminal charges are being considered "from manslaughter onwards".

She said officers had been in the tower "from top to bottom", adding that next week a lift would be installed to the outside of the building.

She added the forensic search "may not be complete until the end of the year".

"There is a terrible reality that we may not find or identify everyone who died due to the intense heat."

'Didn't pass any tests'

Det Supt McCormack says the tests carried out on the cladding and insulation were "small scale" but added: "All I can say at the moment is they [the tiles and insulation] don't pass any safety tests."


The cladding, insulation, fixings and installation will be examined, both individually and in terms of how they worked together.

"The investigation will be exhaustive," said Det Supt McCormack.

"As we learn more, the scope and scale may well grow. We will look at the refurbishment. We are looking at the panelling and the entire facade of the building."

She said she wanted to hear about anyone who was in the tower, whether or not they were meant to be in the building.

She said: "I do not want there to be any victims of this tragedy that we do not know about.

"Our priority is to understand who was in Grenfell Tower. We are not interested in people's reasons for being in Grenfell Tower."


She said she was concerned they did "not have the complete picture" and reassured people not to be nervous about contacting them.

"There may well be people who no one has contacted us about - who they know were in the building or have close links to Grenfell Tower.

"The Home Office has assured us that they are not interested in people's immigration status and we are not interested in looking at that.

"What we are interested in is making sure that we know who is missing and we take every possible step to establish if they are safe and well."

Whirlpool said it was working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that it could assist with the ongoing investigations.

A national safety operation to identify buildings with cladding similar to that used in Grenfell Tower has seen local authorities send samples for independent tests.

 

[Dutto]

There was no mention of the DUP before the election.
But at least they are loyalist, .......

A man described as a "Senior Loyalist" has today pleaded guilty to criminal offences. :thumb:

They included five murders, five attempted murders, twenty three conspiracies to murder and four counts of directing terrorism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40379903

 

[shepp]

I wonder what will happen with the people who had sub-let their apartments at Grenfell?
Will they just get a nice new property to sub-let out for cash in hand again?

 

[shepp]

A man described as a "Senior Loyalist" has today pleaded guilty to criminal offences. :thumb:

They included five murders, five attempted murders, twenty three conspiracies to murder and four counts of directing terrorism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40379903

You forgot to add one of these at the end :whistle:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I wonder what will happen with the people who had sub-let their apartments at Grenfell?
Will they just get a nice new property to sub-let out for cash in hand again?

If the authorities find out they have been doing it they are unlikely to get a second chance.

.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

And so it begins -

Camden flats to be evacuated over cladding

More than 100 homes in a tower block on a council estate in Camden, north London, are be evacuated because of safety concerns over cladding in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Camden Council says residents in 161 flats in the Taplow block, one of five towers on the Chalcots estate, will be moved for "urgent fire safety works".

Similar cladding was used on the building to that on the Grenfell Tower.

A total of 79 people are feared dead after the Grenfell fire

Camden Council had said it will remove external thermal cladding from five tower blocks on the estate.

The council said it would carry out regular fire safety patrols and safety checks to reassure residents.

Council leader Georgia Gould said: "Camden Council is absolutely determined to ensure that our residents are safe and we have promised them that we will work with them, continue to act swiftly and be open and transparent."

She said London Fire Brigade had completed a joint inspection of the blocks with Camden Council technical experts.

"Together we decided the Taplow block needed to be temporarily decanted while we undertake urgent fire safety works so that residents can be fully assured of their safety. This means that we need to move residents from their homes and into temporary accommodation."

Ms Gould said the work is expected to take three to four weeks.

The announcement came as the Metropolitan Police said the Grenfell Tower fire started in a fridge-freezer, and outside cladding and insulation failed safety tests.

Detectives say manslaughter, health and safety, and fire safety charges will be considered as part of their investigation.

A national operation to identify buildings with cladding similar to that used in Grenfell Tower has seen local authorities send samples for independent tests.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said 14 residential high-rise buildings in nine local authority areas have now been found with cladding that raises safety concerns.

BBC News.

 

[davereal]

Just out of interest, seeing that there seems a fair few on here that seem to know or have recently acquired knowledge of what a tower block is. Does any one live in one, pass by one , know any one living in one. I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but just wondering if anyone' s brewing on the on the 20th floor. Or if not stewing in middle england.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Just out of interest, seeing that there seems a fair few on here that seem to know or have recently acquired knowledge of what a tower block is.Does any one live in one, pass by one , know any one living in one.

I do not get the link between the first and second half of your post, are you suggesting people do not know what a tower block is if they do not live in one, pass by one or know someone living in one or are you asking if someone here lives in a tower block and makes home brew?

.