British government’s Grenfell Tower disaster cover-up

This video from Britain says about itself:

Sister of Hillsborough Victim Sends Message of Unity to Grenfell Families | Good Morning Britain

Louise Brookes, whose brother died in the Hillsborough disaster, sends a message of unity to those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Broadcast on 29/06/2017

By Lamiat Sabin in Britain:

Tories preparing Grenfell ‘stitch-up’

Friday 30th June 2017

Housing activists fear whitewash after ‘social cleansing’ judge appointed to lead inquiry

THE government was accused of planning a “stitch-up” of the Grenfell Tower inquiry yesterday after a judge with a track record of “facilitating social cleansing” was appointed to be its chair.

Campaign group the Radical Housing Network (RHN) described Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s appointment, which emerged on Wednesday evening, as “deeply distressing.”

Criticism of the judge centres around a case he presided over which allowed Westminster council to rehouse a mother of five children 50 miles away from her community.

Titina Nzolameso refused an offer of accommodation near Milton Keynes after the government’s benefits cap made the rent on her London flat unaffordable.

When she refused to take it, the council decided that its statutory duty to secure her a home had ended.

In November 2014, Mr Moore-Bick said it was not necessary for the council to explain in detail what other accommodation was available.

Ms Nzolameso’s lawyer Jayesh Kunwardia had said that the ruling gave the green light for councils to “engage in social cleansing of the poor on a mass scale.

“Council tenants are being threatened with homelessness unless they agree to uproot themselves from communities they’ve lived in for years,” he added.

The decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in April 2015.

RHN said that the decision to appoint Mr Moore-Bick shows that “the government is clearly preparing a stitch-up, trying to put a judge at the heart of the Establishment in charge of the inquiry, who supports the inhumane housing policies which have led to Grenfell.”

The group backed up its claim by pointing out that the chair of the so-called independent panel advising on safety measures, Sir Ken Knight, had previously opposed fitting sprinklers in tower blocks and recommended £200 million in cuts to the fire service.

“These two appointments are yet further evidence that the Establishment is not committed to providing justice for Grenfell residents, and are unwilling to put in place measures which will prevent a tragedy of this enormity from happening again,” RHC added.

Pilgrim Tucker, who worked with Grenfell Action Group to expose the safety flaws at the tower, said: “Theresa May has ignored tenants and appointed a completely inappropriate judge. We can have no faith that this inquiry will produce justice for Grenfell residents.”

At least 80 people have died since the fire in west London two weeks ago, with hundreds displaced and declared “missing.”

Jason Miller and Corinne Jones escaped the 17th floor with their two children and have since been living like “refugees” in emergency accommodation.

Mr Moore-Bick met a handful of residents to discuss the investigation yesterday morning. But many who lived in Grenfell Tower were unaware of the meeting, Mr Miller said.

He added: “We have reservations about the judge as well and previous cases he has presided over because it has related to people in social housing.”

PM Theresa May claimed that “no stone will be left unturned” by the inquiry, during which Mr Moore-Bick is expected to consult survivors and victims’ families about the scope of the probe.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for the interim report to be published over the summer, amid concerns that the inquiry could take years.

This video from London, England says about itself:

Tory Council Leader Shuts Down Grenfell Tower Discussion Because of the Presence of Media

29 June 2017

Nick Paget-Brown, Tory Party leader of the Kensington and Chelsea Council, has shut down an official meeting of the council which was set to discuss the Grenfell Tower fire due to the presence of media in the room out of fear of having any admissions of liability recorded.

A senior council meeting about the Grenfell Tower disaster has descended into chaos and angry confrontations – when it was scrapped as soon as journalists entered the room.

Media and the public were initially barred from attending the evening meeting of Kensington and Chelsea council.

But after a challenge at the High Court, journalists won the right to enter the meeting at Kensington Town Hall.

However, the leader of the council, Nicholas Paget-Brown, quickly abandoned the meeting, citing concerns about “prejudice” to an upcoming inquiry about the tragedy if journalists were there.

He and his cabinet then promptly left the room.

ITV News reporter Nick Wallis described chaotic scenes after the meeting was stopped.

People began shouting, crying, and calling for the council executive to resign, he reported.

Labour councillor Robert Atkinson, who represents the ward that Grenfell Tower is in, had a furious altercation with Mr Paget-Brown after the decision was made to stop the meeting.

“What you have done is used this as opportunity for you to make a statement and nobody else gets to say anything at all. You could have issued that statement, in fact you should have issued that statement, eight days ago. An absolute fiasco, this is why I am calling for your resignation.”

Robert Atkinson Labour Councillor, to Tory Party Council Leader Nicholas Paget-Brown

Tory Party style democracy at work.

By Lamiat Sabin in Britain:

Grenfell Council shuts residents out of meetings

Councillors finally hold meeting about disaster – in private

GRENFELL TOWER fire survivors were left reeling yesterday after senior councillors shut them out of their first meeting on the disaster over fears they would cause “disruption.”

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) said last night’s cabinet meeting would be held in private.

The meeting was chaired by council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown, who faces calls for his resignation over the fire that killed and displaced hundreds of residents two weeks ago, which was exacerbated by flammable cladding and shockingly poor safety compliance.

Councillors joined by support officers and “invited guests (if any)” will be convening to discuss the fire, according to a notice on RBKC’s website.

The notice said: “Please note this meeting will be held entirely in private session, pursuant to Standing Order 31.01, in the light of the risk of disruption (as witnessed on Friday June 16) and consequent security and public safety concerns.

“As such it will be open only to council members, support officers and invited guests (if any).

“The public minutes of this meeting will be published, in due course, on the council website.” It is unclear whether any survivors have been invited to the meeting as “guests.”

The RBKC notice explained Standing Order 31.01 as giving chair Mr Paget-Brown the right under common law and statute to exclude the public “if he or she is of the opinion that there shall be a disruption to the business.”

Following the fire, hundreds of people held a protest demanding answers from the council at Kensington Town Hall at which a handful of people managed to enter the building before being forced to leave.

The protest ended with a rally at the site of the burned-out tower block.

Journalists’ union NUJ acting general secretary Seamus Dooley said: “We are deeply disturbed at the news that the Kensington and Chelsea council cabinet meeting will be held in private. The ban on media attendance should be lifted immediately [as] the horrific fire is a matter of grave public interest. The public have a right to know if public policy failures contributed to this disaster.

“There is no justification for behind-closed-doors discussions. This can only contribute to further alienation of residents who feel their voice has not been listened to.”

RBKC has come under intense criticism for its response to the crisis, with many Grenfell Tower residents being ignored by the councillors and left to fend for themselves.

And the residents’ Grenfell Action Group had raised many concerns over fire safety in the building with RBKC and councillors over the years but were ignored, while one resident was even threatened with legal action and accused of harassment.

RBKC chief executive Nicholas Holgate quit last week, allegedly under pressure from Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan demands the resignation of the entire council leadership.

This video from the USA says about itself:

London Grenfell Inferno: Who’s to Blame?

29 June 2017

The Grenfell Tower Block fire in London is a predictable consequence of policies that can be traced to Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, as well as those of David Cameron and Theresa May, says former financial regulator Bill Black.

BRITAIN’S biggest trade union Unite demanded yesterday an urgent radical overhaul of building regulations following the Grenfell Tower fire: here.