Like everyone else in the country, I have been left feeling very saddened by the fire in London, which destroyed an entire block of flats and killed potentially hundreds.
It is now a few days since the catastrophe, and like many, I have had time to reflect and ask “why did this happen?”. While there is yet to be an investigation into the cause of the tragedy, it has been widely reported that the block of flats were refurbished on the cheap, with flammable material and no obvious signs of fire alarms, extinguishers or sprinklers.
It has since emerged that the Tories voted against introducing a law, which would force landlords to ensure the safety of the properties they rent to tenants. Coincidentally, many Conservative MPs are landlords themselves…
The unnecessary loss of life caused by the fire is simply devastating. Hundreds of people would have gone to bed, only to wake up with a room full of toxic smoke and fire, with no means of escape. The reports of parents throwing their children from upper floors of the flat shows just how horrific it must have been to be trapped in a burning flat.
This was all avoidable. Had the Tories voted with the wellbeing of tenants in mind, instead of for personal and selfish financial gain, the tragedy could have been avoided. A placard being carried by a protestor summed it up perfectly – “CORPORATE GREED”.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, attended the scene of the disaster within hours. The Queen and Prince William were not far behind; all giving support to the victims. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, only managed to meet some of the brave firefighters. The photos of her with the unsung heroes, which have been circulated on social media, show her with a look boredom on her face, suggesting that she would rather be somewhere else. I will credit Mrs May – she eventually did visit a hospital, to meet some of the poor people injured in the fire. This was only after a national outcry at her lack of activity.
I have never known the country to be in this much of a mess. It reminds me of the Margaret Thatcher era, although I only know about what happened from books and television. I remember being a child and my parents being very upset by the Baroness. Sadly, I am now experiencing what they felt all those years ago. Thatcher and May are cut from the same cloth.
Finally, I send my best wishes to all those affected by the devastation. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
While tidying the house this morning, I found this leaflet. It had been chucked through the letterbox by a Tory, before Thursday’s election.
It made me laugh. Bye Bye Ben…
However, I am confused. The leaflet promises that a loss of 6 seats would see Jeremy Corby become Prime Minister. Considering the Tories lost 13 seats this week, why is the Wicked Witch of the West still in Number 10?
At least the reverse of the leaflet promises we’ll be “Strong and Stable”…
After waking up to misery following the 2015 General Election and 2016’s Brexit, I was very happy this morning, when I awoke to hear that my local Tory MP, Ben Howlett, had lost his seat to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Wera Hobhouse.
Of course, nationally the Tories won the most seats, but far from a majority – showing that the country is far from happy with the way Teresa May has handled issues like the NHS, education and Brexit.
At the time of writing, not a lot has been decided about what will happen. Mrs May has met The Queen, who sadly didn’t release the Corgies upon her arrival (after all, Teresa is pro-hunting). No doubt all the candidates will now argue until they come to a resolution which nobody will really be happy with.
I remember from my childhood that my parents would always become concerned around the time General Elections were held.
I did appreciate that the event carried some significance, but was never able to appreciate this, and just thought they were going over the top. My biggest worries at the time were how I would complete my homework, while at the same time helping Sonic the Hedgehog defeat Dr Robotnik.
Now that I am older and wiser (haven destroyed Dr Robotnik), I can see why my parents were so concerned about who was running the country. It’s Election time again and I am not looking forward to the results on Friday – mainly because I fear the awful Tories will win again and condemn our country to another five years of misery.
If The Conservative Party do find themselves victorious, I think I’ll shut myself away for half a decade, dig out the Sega Megadrive and play Sonic.
I keep hearing the words ‘Strong and Stable’. This is the Tories’ campaign ahead of the snap General Election, that Teresa May said she wasn’t going to call, but ended up doing so anyway.
Every time I hear the phrase, I can’t help but think it would more fitting to be associated with an advert for toilet roll.
I guess toilet paper and the Tory campaign motto do have something in common… they’re both used by arseholes.