You may be forgiven for thinking that the Grenfell Tower Inquiry had concluded with the firefighters’ evidence in Phase 1 – given the intense media attention afforded to the actions of individual firefighters and the London Fire Brigade.
But you are mistaken, Phase 2 has been up and running since January this year (with a necessary break for the pandemic) and it is now the turn of the corporates to come under the same intense scrutiny as the fire service…..or so you would have thought.
However, so far we have heard barely a squeak from the tabloids and even very little from the ‘serious’ press. Admittedly, we have had other things on our mind but you do wonder where all this is going. Just who is being lined up to take the blame here? Is it those who allowed Grenfell Tower to be turned into a death trap or those who put their lives on the line that night, time and time again, to try and save lives in impossible circumstances?
We know that the watering down of building regulations over many decades, was not done to make people safer. Nor was part-privatising local authority building inspectors. But ultimately, it was legislation that was passed by parliament, by politicians - very senior politicians. The thought that they may be called to account, appealing as it may seem to ordinary people, is a terrifying prospect for those who run this country and much of the media who support them.
After phase 1 came to the inescapable conclusion that the primary cause of the rapid fire spread were the ACM panels on the walls of the tower, it would be expected that those responsible for designing and fixing them would now feel the heat of the inquiry.
But….I am afraid to say that for whatever reasons, the set-up of the inquiry is far less intimidating for witnesses with fewer members of the Grenfell community present. Similarly, the manner and intensity of the questioning has been far more genteel than in Phase 1. Admittedly, every now and then the frustration of the GTI legal team shows,as responses to questions return a constant stream of ‘I can’t recall’, ‘I wasn’t aware of that’ or ‘I assumed that was being done by someone else’. The constant buck passing or unwillingness to take responsibility is astonishing.
Throughout the last few weeks, the testimony of the corporate witnesses has revealed the extent to which the shadowy industry in which they operate failed the residents of Grenfell time and time again. We heard how cost pressures meant cheaper alternatives for materials were being sourced at every turn; how little consideration was being given to fire safety; and how residents were treated with disdain by those in charge of the project.
The fact that there are still hundreds of buildings clad like Grenfell is a national disgrace, a fact raised by the FBU countless times. The issues being unearthed in the inquiry, in an almost surreally calm atmosphere, are of huge importance. That a whole industry is so complacent over working class people’s safety, is scandalous. But even more scandalous is the fact that governments (of all shades) have not only encouraged such behaviour but have legitimised it through deregulation. And all this being played out with little to no fuss from our national media.
Compare that to the front page headlines afforded to those firefighters who attended Grenfell Tower on the night of 14 June 2017, and gave their evidence with such honesty and openness.
Phase 2 resumes again on 7 September after the summer break. The likelihood is that the inquiry will continue well into next year, and possibly beyond.
But one thing is for sure: there will be a lot more witnesses who will reveal equally damning information about the building industry. Let us hope that the media are paying attention. We might then see the real culprits - the business executives and politicians - held to account. I live in hope….not expectation.