Theresa May was too scared to meet the Grenfell survivors. Shes finished

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/16/theresa-may-scared-grenfell-survivors-finished-austerity-cameron-osborne

Theresa May was too scared to meet the Grenfell survivors. She’s finished

Polly Toynbee

Friday 16 June 2017 07.18 EDT

That tomb in the sky will be forever Theresa May’s monument. Grenfell marks the spot and her visit marks the moment the last vestiges of her career were finally rubbed out. She made it her own yesterday by that fateful “visit” to a handful of senior fire officers, guarding her from any contaminating contact with the bereaved and newly homeless. Dead to emotion or empathy, she sealed her fate.

Precise blame comes later in the public inquiry: we are all overnight experts in cladding and sprinklers now. But political blame spreads right through the Conservative party, with no escape on offer. This goes far beyond the precise shockers – the Tory MPs who mockingly rejected housing regulation; the cuts to funding to councils responsible for retro-fitting fire suppressants; the disregard of coroner’s instructions after the 2009 Lakanal House tragedy; and even the plan to opt out of EU safety regulations. Conservative Kensington and Chelsea council allegedly blocking its ears to tenants’ well-founded anxiety is just the immediate scandal. But this event reaches far deeper, to the very sinews of its party’s policy.

That tower is austerity in ruins. Symbolism is everything in politics and nothing better signifies the May-Cameron-Osborne era that stripped bare the state and its social and physical protection of citizens. The horror of poor people burned alive within feet of the country’s grandest mansions, many of them empty, moth-balled investments, perfectly captures the politics of the last seven years. The Cameron, Osborne, Gove Notting Hill set live just up the road.
(snip)

The danger is that once this drama is over and news moves on, people get forgotten. Not this time. What a contrast was Jeremy Corbyn’s visit, hugging and embracing victims, promising to guarantee that never happens. No one could have devised a better parable to convey the difference between the two parties than those two leaders’ visits. No doubt Grenfell residents would have shouted at the prime minister – but after her hermetically sealed election campaign, this confirms that a leader who dare never meet her people is truly done for.

[MADem]

1. The Queen wasn't.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3813568/queen-prince-william-visit-london-fire-rest-centre/

QUEEN OF HURTS The Queen is applauded as she meets Grenfell Tower survivors and brave firefighters at relief centre – and Prince William shouts ‘I’ll come back’ as they leave to more cheering
Her Majesty has spoken to survivors, volunteers and the emergency services during visit

[sarge43]

7. I'd like to be a fly on the wall at Mays' next audience with HM.

Something along the line of "We've had to deal with some bottom feeders over the years, but, you PM, surpass them. You couldn't even talk with the survivors - shame, shame on you."

According to my court spies, getting dressed down by HM is not an experience you want to repeat - sweet mum in full "I'm disappointed" mode.

[mwooldri]

9. I don't think it will happen that way...

Apparently Her Maj likes Mrs May. Plus while on paper the PM serves at the pleasure of Her Majesty, we know who really wears the pantsuit.

I think Elizabeth would basically just share with Theresa her experience on how to respond to tragedies. We know the monarchy doesn't have a stellar record on this (see Diana, etc) but I've put this down to a generational divide. In my mind, William is already the next de-facto king.

But there's a lot of people who would love to be a fly on the wall of any Queen/PM conversation.

[regnaD kciN]

2. Too bad the election already took place...

Unless a few of her own party desert her (thus endangering their own seats) or the fundamentalist, rabidly anti-Catholic nutjobs of the UDP decide they would rather have "IRA Sympathizer" Jeremy Corbin control their fate, she'll remain in power until 2022.

[T_i_B]

3. I think she will be gone before then

It might be too problematic to kick her out now with the EU negotiations about to start but I'm sure she will go before then.

The problem is that any successor is likely to be even worse. Boris Johnson anyone? Michael Gove? David Davis?

[47of74]

5. Yep being the second coming of Margaret Thatcher didn't work like she wanted.

[T_i_B]

6. More Cersei Lannister than Margaret Thatcher...

[StevieM]

11. If she can last through the next Conservative Party Conference, as the EU negotiations take place,

she can call new elections before the following convention. The conferences take place in October. This year's conference is scheduled for October 1-4.

I wouldn't be surprised if elections take place next year, perhaps in August. That may give May a chance to recover, at least from her own perspective. It will also give Corbyn a chance to make mistakes, at least in theory.

[T_i_B]

12. Corbyn has already made many mistakes!

However, in the general election Theresa May made far more mistakes than Corbyn, and her party has paid the price for failing to make her more accountable.

It worries me greatly appreciate that British politics has degenerated into a contest to see who can f**k up the least, but that is where we are. On the eve of the most important negotiations since the end of WWII as well!

[StevieM]

13. You make a very good point. Perhaps this has become the nature of politics in the era of

the internet and 24 hour news.

I realize that Corbyn made a lot of mistakes over the past 2 years. Obviously, he did much better during the actual election season.

It remains to be seen whether he makes similar mistakes in the aftermath of his election performance. Or if he runs as good a campaign in next general election as he did in this one.

Bernie Sanders also made some serious mistakes in his primary campaign that people tend to forget. We will never know how he would have done in a GE.

Theresa May will likely last for the time being while Bexit negotiations are taking place. After that she will be susceptible to a challenge. But if she calls for new elections before the October 2018 party conference then she can lead the party into that election.

[T_i_B]

16. The thing about Corbyn....

....is that you know what he's good at, what he's bad at and the job during an election campaign is to play to his strengths.

Conversely, the Conservative campaign was VERY heavily focused on Theresa May, and exposed her flaws for all to see.

[MADem]

17. Really--he was such a lousy candidate. Way too much baggage.

Just the personal life, alone, is a bit much. It's fine to have one, but don't live your private life quite so publicly!

I will say, though, he put on a suit and went and met with the victims of the fire. That was a good move.

[roscoeroscoe]

4. Oops

Reflects her attitude perfectly.

She's ruined herself, just like Trump.

[furtheradu]

8. Good riddance!

[irisblue]

10. P.M May, security won't let me see the survivors. HRH Elizabeth II..Hold my crown

I stole this from a tweet.

[dalton99a]

14. 58 people now presumed dead. Stick a fork in her.

[Igel]

15. She should have. Really.

They'd managed to put together a government, the investigation into what happened was well in hand with results already available, all the resources and structure for getting money and aid to those affected by the fire had been finalized, and they had even ironed out exactly how they'll start negotiating their Brexit (and what kind of Brexit it will be) so they could have fully trained and briefed staff all in place to hit the ground running when the negotiating meetings started.


Corbyn, who really has little to say about any of the above, did the right thing. The ever objective and unbiased Guardian, in the finest of British journalistic tradition, nailed it.