the brilliantly leaping gazelle

I must write that if I were caught up in the unimaginable horror of being trapped in a burning tower block, I’d have it on my toes – well not now so much, because of my brain damage – and leg it, ignoring any advice which ignored the basic rule of fire. Namely that fire burns up and ideally one wants to be under the fire. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong in saying that. There is something wrong, however, with those who suggest there is, that in some way espousing such sentiments is somehow disrespectful those who died at Grenfell by following the ‘stay put’ advice of the Fire Brigade. At best it is misguided anger and at worst it is seeking to brand a senior Conservative MP, as uncaring, unfeeling and many other labels that politicians wish to avoid at the start of a general election campaign.

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I’m no great fan of Jacob Rees-Mogg, but I side with him on this. Had Grenfell United made the point loudly and continuously, that had a similar tragedy happened at a private tower block in Woking, Basingstoke or Cambridge, then more decisive action, not only to re-house the survivors, provide them with proper counselling and long term support, but to also as a matter of urgency fund the identification and removal work of similar flammable cladding, would have been taken much, much sooner.

Maybe they have.