To me it looks like the effects of deregulation. More specifically, under-funding agencies charged with enforcing regulations so that greedy business tycoons can get richer and the poor end up taking the consequence.
Indeed mate…
‘David Cameron: I will kill off safety culture’… (with video at time of him being Prime Minister in 2012)
The treasure chest isn’t empty yet 😃
quality that mate - really enjoying watching those videos - nice one, ta 😃
‘A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH: REMEMBERING “STAR WARS” ON ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY’ - from the digitalbits.com
^ 5 page quality article full of Star Wars goodness; info, reviews & quotes, cinema details, and a Q&A with Marcus Hearn, Patrick Read Johnson, Charles de Lauzirika & Kevin Rubio.
Grenfell Tower will forever stand as a rebuke to the right
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/16/grenfell-tower-rebuke-right-rampant-inequality
^ this is well worth a read.
I thought it was unaffordable and pointless green energy initiatives and the “progressive” outfits that peddle them that were the cause of this.
“The Right”, left to itself, never would have placed immigrants in that situation.
No.
‘Grenfell Tower fire: Up to 600 high-rise blocks using similar cladding’…
Austerity forced on the poor, disabled, voiceless, vulnerable, unemployed, ignored and the often forgot about - regardless of colour, ethnicity, religion, sex, or employment status - is finally being seen for what it actually is, 7 years and countless lives too late.
Let alone austerity on the emergency services, NHS, local councils, schools, libraries, parks, armed forces, intelligence services.
It’ll take years to recover from - even if it were started to be reversed today - but hopefully people will remember how austerity failed - and the true cost of it’s impact, both on people and services, for years to come…
In other news…
‘Tory Government’s benefit cap is unlawful and causes ‘real misery for no good purpose’, High Court rules’…
oojason, I think you posted a link a while ago that I cannot seem to find. It was a link to a site with movie logos and fonts. I cannot seem to find it anywhere. It was some sort of database. Please help me.
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Star-Wars-International-Logo-Collection/id/47348
^ Is it that one, mate?
I don’t have time to read the article right now I’m curious if a reason was given for why Donald Trump’s visit was shelved.
Basically mate, Theresa May may not be PM by the time he arrives - and Trump is also likely a bit worried about the reception he’d get from the British public - a good PR visit for Trump (in a golden carriage ride) it would not be - mass street protests, moonings etc - and general embarrassment to the Royals 😃
And that was before Trump attacking the Mayor Of London and embarrassing Theresa May with disclosing his latest Muslim-Ban hours after May left the US on her visit.
‘DUP says deal with Tories 95% complete’…
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/21/dup-says-deal-with-tories-95-complete
^ It’s going to be interesting to hear what’s in the deal if/when completed… and if it breaches the Good Friday Agreement - as well as raising tensions in Northern Ireland, and if it actually gets the Tories enough votes to pass most of it’s legislation…
(we’ve already seen many manifesto promises being scrapped by the Tories - as they do not likely have the votes to get them through even with a DUP deal - and many manifesto pledges have also been deeply unpopular with the public - at a time when they they need all the good PR they can get)
‘Donald Trump’s State Visit To UK Shelved In Queen’s Speech 2017’…
Sadly, my US friends, it seems he’ll be staying in the US rather than coming to the UK for a state visit (though he’ll likely just go to the golf course a bit more 😉)
‘Queen’s Speech - live updates: Grenfell Tower ‘Day of Rage’ protests demand Theresa May quit as government plans unveiled’…
Brian Cant has gone too… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40335213
The voice of a fair few childhoods there mate - hadn’t realised he’d done quite so many programs (and featured in Dr Who too).
RIP Brian Cant.
On the 1st day of Brexit talks between the UK and EU…
‘UK caves in to EU demand to agree divorce bill before trade talks’…
& similar articles below…
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/david-davis-brexit-michel-barnier_uk_594809d4e4b0cddbb00887ba
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40321271
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/david-davis-brexit-briefing-live-10649824
That article pretty much sums up him and his words & actions quite well - and shows him up for what he actually is too.
The time might come when we may need to take action in the streets to get the OOT released.
A superb call to arms brother 😃
‘Finsbury Park attack: Man dies as van hits worshippers’…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40322960
&
Finsbury Park terror attack: one dead near north London mosque – latest updates
Lord Buckethead’s first policy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhzZCDh6VD4
I’d vote for that!
Is it wrong that Lord Buckethead comes across more human than the current PM? - showing more empathy, compassion and humour -despite being an intergalactic space lord with a bucket for a head, and also being someone Theresa May likely targeted with her…
program as Home Secretary?
https://twitter.com/LordBuckethead/status/873806533074837504
He can also move on the dancefloor…
https://twitter.com/LordBuckethead/status/875681558262411264
and is probably polling higher than Theresa May (and Trump and Putin) right now too 😃
and here he is thanking the people of Maidenhead (which could well be a first, either in earth time or galactic time)…
Oi! No posting porn on the ot.com 😉
^ That is heavenly - and so far the only proper sandwich in this thread…
my small contribution to this thread of depravity and wrongness so far:-
and now my work here is done… (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5q1dnd)
😉
Grenfell Tower will forever stand as a rebuke to the right
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/16/grenfell-tower-rebuke-right-rampant-inequality
^ this is well worth a read.
It should also stand a reason for why you need fire alarms and in a high rise like that building, a sprinkler system. I have to believe many lives could have been saved if the building had those things.
Indeed, seems to make more sense spending money of sprinklers and alarm systems - rather than on dangerous (and banned in other countries) cladding - so the rich people opposite don’t have to look at an ugly tower block.
Amazing in this day and age - and for the past 30 years or so - the UK hasn’t made it law for social housing or buildings with more than x amount of people in, that it must have sprinklers (or other fire-suppression systems) and building-wide alarms.
Hopefully we’ll see a review of building materials used and being used - and how dangerous they could potentially be. We’d do well to look at and learn from other countries laws and systems they have in place as a starting point (especially Germany, where there are many high-rise towers - and they have already banned low-resistant materials and also those materials which become toxic when exposed to heat/fire).
‘Grenfell Tower residents complained two years ago of ‘cheap materials and corner cutting’ in block’s refurbishment’:-
&
Theresa May interview on BBC Newsnight earlier tonight - still no empathy, responsibility or much compassion - and yet a continued refusal to answer or even address the questions asked - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftY1NlPk5YY
Grenfell Tower will forever stand as a rebuke to the right
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/16/grenfell-tower-rebuke-right-rampant-inequality
^ this is well worth a read.
I don’t always agree with MP David Lammy but I really got choked up with this speech from the heart, that he gave to Channel-4 News this evening, on the Grenfell fire and cuts to the welfare state…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dISZpogzV_I
Channel-4 have done a sterling job covering this tragedy. Another video interviewing rapper Akala who as always, says it like it is…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9NWK7VOLig
Real anger today directed at the local Tory council and Tory Prime Minister May, as she has seemingly tried to avoided speaking directly to the distraught residents (Something the leader of the opposition, the Mayor and The Queen have done). Protests outside Downing Street too. I hope the anger doesn’t escalate out of control. I was there on the street when the 2011 London riots started kicking off and it was scary to see.
Top post mate - unlike the BBC and Sky and much of the other media, Channel 4 still give a shit about the people involved in the news they broadcast. You can see it in their selection of presenters working for the channel, their questions, their compassion, their questioning of authority/those responsible.
They don’t patronise, or silence or shush people, look down on them, set an agenda or steer them to their political bias - unlike the others.
I lived in a tower block like Grenfell back in '94 to 2001 - fortunately all the work carried out on it back then was by council employees (skilled and experienced tradesman - apprentices under their guidance, bar the odd bad apple) - the work was quality and you knew there’d be little-to-no shortcuts, or corners cut on costs or safety. Council Clerk Of Works would have to sign off on any work - and there was no way they would sign off on anything substandard - they’d get the tradesmen back in to complete or re-do the job whilst standing over them if they did - I even saw on the odd occasion Clerks forcing tradesmen to apologise to tenants for some sloppy sub-standard work before signing off on their work.
Now it’s all sub-contractors and private companies with a mindset of profit - lowest quote wins - despite the quality and safety which gets overlooked. There are now so few Clerk of Works I’m not even sure they have to sign off on sub-contractors work. Instead of hiring more Clerks to ensure quality and safety during that time - the councils, through cuts and pressure from these private companies, got rid of many of them.
Self-assessment by the contractors - or their sub-contractors was and is the order of the day - as well as ignoring tenant’s complaints or putting out PR spin or pre-prepared messages saying they ahdere to the highest quality and safety requirements and are doing quality work - which we all know is bullshit.
The block I lived in wasn’t in a nice estate, the building was a 60’s concrete tower block, there was high unemployment, drugs, gangs, high crime, police collusion with dealers and escorts. But I felt safe - I’d hate to live in a block like that now - given what has happened over the years with the cuts to the councils (and emergency services) through ‘austerity’, and the proliferation of these often shoddy sub-contractors. I certainly wouldn’t feel safe living there now.
Really hope these terrible events force a re-think not only on the safety of social housing - but also the upkeep and the way contractors are given work on them. Profit before people hasn’t, doesn’t and will never work - and only ends one way - at the expense of the people using them.
(my rant over 😉)
a video of Justice For Grenfell Protesters marching towards Downing Street - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8aY8pufZ7c
and ‘Ishmail speaks reality to a sky news presenter GTR’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcJPlkqOYX0
^ both sum up how a fair few people are feeling at the moment.
Cladding for Grenfell Tower was cheaper, more flammable option…
(Omnis Exteriors asked to supply cladding £2 cheaper a square metre than fire-resistant type, investigation finds)
& more despicable actions from The S*n…
S*n journalist ‘impersonated Grenfell Tower victim’s relative at hospital’…
(King’s College hospital launches complaint with watchdog over behaviour of Sun reporter)
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/16/sun-journalist-grenfell-tower-victim-hospital
Have I heard correctly that the building that burned down had no sprinkler systems and no fire alarms?
You heard right mate - there were no sprinkler systems - and going on the article below…
'Several residents said they did not hear a building-wide alarm. One man said the first thing he heard was the sirens of emergency vehicles. How was the building’s alarm system set up?
More than one resident has claimed there was no central fire alarm system for the tower block – or that it had failed – and only smoke alarms in individual flats were working. Were they battery operated or hard-wired into the system? Board minutes suggest installing hard-wired fire alarms had been planned.’
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/14/key-questions-about-the-grenfell-tower-fire
Thankfully it was Ramadan at the time of the fire breaking out - and several Muslims (awake and sitting down to have meals) in the area raised the alarm - http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-tower-fire-muslims-breaking-ramadan-fast-saved-everyone-when-alarms-failed-a3565081.html
London fire: Protests grow as fire anger increases:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40298473
&
Grenfell Tower fire: protesters march as anger mounts over disaster response – live:-
I knew there were more surviving Jedi out there…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeremy-Corbyn-action-figure-/182613985056
