Fwoggie2

In Australia, the UAE and elsewhere the same type of cladding has led to fire disasters in apartment towers for the very rich. So there is no reason yet to believe that rich Brits are not living in towers wrapped in the same cladding.

I live in a yuppie flat in Stratford (by the 2012 Olympic Park, over 10 miles from Grenfell on the other side of town). My landlord - JLL (a major company) are rapidly sending our building's cladding for testing. We have fire doors, blankets in each kitchen and patrols keeping an eye on things but no sprinklers. For a tiny 2 bed flat I pay £1,710 a month. I await the results of the cladding test with interest but there are delays of course because every high rise residential tower with cladding UK-wide suddenly wants to be tested.

Theresa May the Prime Minister is already unpopular and has been getting a lot of negative coverage ever since the Grenfell disaster occurred.

First it was negative coverage that it had even happened.

The PM then got negative coverage because it took several days for official government response to become visible on the street.

Multiple VIPs rocked up to pay condolences including the London Mayor, Communities Minister (that's a secretary of state ministerial position) - even the Queen (91 years old) managed to make it. Eventually the PM did, after being forced to by the press. Even then she only talked to a few rescuers and certainly didn't go near any members of the public (victims or helpers or otherwise).

Then the local council tried to hold an executive meeting behind closed doors by banning the media. A couple of media outlets went to the high court to unban themselves (winning the argument), so the council leader (no prizes for guessing whether he's in the PM's party cough or not) read a statement and closed the meeting to vociferous objections from the opposition councillors. This hasn't gone down well, but she refuses to say she's lost confidence in them.

The media are having a field day at her handling of the disaster and aftermath. So too are opposition politicians at all levels as well as influential social media celebrities.

I dunno, Paxman and (increasingly) Davis are quite happy to rip people to pieces. It's acceptable for UK journalists to do so, and I hope Mr Guru-Murthy continues in the same vein.

Paxman vs Michael Howard - one of the most famous interviews ever in the UK.

This is why I'm a fan of our NHS. Here you've gotta justify expenditure on medication. They won't give out pain relief meds Willy-nilly.

Oh I do. I am mindful and sensitive to the protests that regularly occur on stratford high street or Stratford broadway. Our housing system is broken; I can comfortably afford the rent but cannot begin to summon sufficient equity or deposit to buy that kind of thing. But what happens to those on lower salaries who are essential to the fabric of society. Cleaners. Teachers. Emergency services. Etc. Answer is they cannot afford it which is mad.