Fear and loathing in third world London

Large towers with flammable cladding similar to that which ignited the now gutted Grenfell Tower in west London have been evacuated.

The evacuation came without prior notice, leaving many families forced to sleep communally on the floors of local spots centres.

Billy McLennan on Twitter: “Air beds being laid out in Swiss Cottage leisure centre for evacuated Chalcots residents pic.twitter.com/qZM2huOxM7 / Twitter”

Air beds being laid out in Swiss Cottage leisure centre for evacuated Chalcots residents pic.twitter.com/qZM2huOxM7

Many residents have been disgusted by their treatment at the hands of local government working in tandem with the UK government. It is simply not right to force people to leave their homes with such short notice and no real contingency plan, let alone a timetable for what might happen next and when.

Some have refused to leave their homes. It remains unclear what plans the government has for such individuals.

Camden New Journal on Twitter: “Few lights left on at Taplow and Burnham. Not everyone heading evacuation advice at Chalcots pic.twitter.com/8B2yfnX9tO / Twitter”

Few lights left on at Taplow and Burnham. Not everyone heading evacuation advice at Chalcots pic.twitter.com/8B2yfnX9tO

The solution to this problem is simple, but yet again the powers that be have made it needlessly complicated.

In less than 48 hours, it would have been possible to erect fire-proof scaffolding with appropriate access points and stairs which could serve both as a wrap around fire-escape as well as an access-point for builders to do appropriate building modifications to make the towers more safe in the event of a fire. One must remember that the towers in question are hi-rises of modest size. We’re not talking about the Empire State Building. The vast majority of the buildings in question are under 30 stories in height.

Ironically, in admitting that buildings clad with the same materials as those used on the infamous Grenfell Tower, the powers that be are prima facie guilty of allowing flammable cladding on Grenfell Tower and other locations throughout the UK and now this guilt has been de-facto admitted.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: The Duran visits London fire ground zero

This action speaks far louder than words, but once again the solution puts tick-box big government bureaucracy above treating people with dignity and affording them safety at the same time, irrespective of the cost. There is no cost too high to afford people dignity, especial when one remembers that the current UK government is about to spend billions on renewing the Trident nuclear arsenal.

Rather than force people out of their homes, the government could order 24 hour building works to remove flammable materials, install sprinkler systems, erect scaffolding to serve as fire escapes and give tenants and flat owners multiple fire extinguishers as well as lessons in real life fire safety.

Instead, the powers that be are herding people around like cattle without a spare thought for what they must be thinking. The negligence of the UK government, local government and their friends in big business have now created an internal refugee crisis that is thought to be common in the countries that Britain’s mainstream media likes to mock. A bit of humility is needed.

It is a total systematic failure on top of many recent and historic infrastructural and government failures. It is especially ironic that this is happening in a country that likes to hide behind American military power in order to tell other countries how to run their societies.

Against this backdrop of colossal national failure, it is no wonder that Jeremy Corbyn, a politician who has spoken out against this kind of social inhumanity, has attained the popularity of a rock star.  It is looking increasingly well deserved.