Grenfell Tower: the Tragic Price of the Rolled-Back State

http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/06/26/grenfell-tower-the-tragic-price-of-the-rolled-back-stat/
Date Written:  2017-06-26
Publisher:  Counterpunch
Year Published:  2017
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX21035

The British state used to be better organised and effective, but self-interested denigration of the state over the past 30 years has helped erode these strengths, leaving authorities less equiped to handle emergencies such as Grenfell tower disaster.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt: It is nauseating to think of the burned bodies of people trapped in Grenfell Tower as the flames engulfed them and then read government boasts on an official website about how "businesses with good records have had fire safety inspections reduced from six hours to 45 minutes, allowing managers to quickly get back to their day jobs." Dangerous drivel like this sends the clear message that the authorities do not care much about fire safety. Of course, under a regime of cursory 45-minute inspections every business will have a "good record" until the day it burns to the ground.