5314/18234
Waking up to terrible news is becoming the norm rather than the exception. Today’s news hit especially hard as Grenfell Tower is within walking distance of my house and I could hear the helicopters in the sky above me. It was only later as I was driving back into London on the A40 that I saw the still smouldering tower up ahead of me, next to the three other similar towers in the estate and the grim reality of the scale of what had happened really sunk in.
The people of West London came together in grief and anger, but mainly in support and once again there were amazing stories of heroism and survival. But it’s clearly going to involve a lot more devastation and death than we’ve been told about so far. Amongst the cutbacks and austerity and governmental corruption (or at best, negligence) that all contributed to this, we need to step back and consider the human costs of these decisions. As well as remember how vital and incredible our emergency services and medical professionals are. It seems likely to have been an accident that started this fire and there will always be accidents, but there is no way an accident should lead to such unimaginable consequences in a modern tower block. When profit or corruption or incompetence are put above the lives of citizens and citizens are put in danger purely because of their own lack of wealth, something is very wrong with our society.
But well done to West Londoners for stepping up and doing all they could to help. I saw a little of this spirit yesterday on the bus, but this was another whole level. The only ray of hope is that this will lead to laws being changed and those who are culpable, both amongst the owners of the building and the government officials who haven’t done enough to protect their citizens, will be brought to book and nothing like this will happen again.
London, once again, carried on. Traffic was bad, but everyone waited patiently in the jams, knowing that we were the lucky ones. I think also knowing that we have to do something to stop this. People must come first. Every punch makes London stronger.
I have lived in London for nearly 30 years and I think I will always see myself as a Londoner, even though very soon I won’t be. We went out to the new house today to talk with the guys who are working on it. Things are progressing slowly, but we will have to move in a month, whatever. It was sunny and idyllic and we had our lunch on a little farm in the village, with chickens and horses all around. A little girl was singing “Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the bed”. By the time she got to seven the girl’s mum said, “I expect the doctor was getting a bit fed up with the mother,” and summed up my five minute routine on the song in one sentence. Little did she know that I made a living out of the observations she was chucking away for free. If people realised how easy my job was then everyone would be doing it.
The first RHLSTP of series 11 is now out. With the brilliant Paul Merton.
