British people are getting used to seeing their leaders apologise in parliament for the failings of the state
A view of the Grenfell fire. 'The disaster was on a scale so horrific it set an entirely new, depressing standard for failure.' Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Imagesvictims’ families on behalf of the British state, Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister whom he defeated in July’s election, stood opposite and, presumably, must have had an inkling of how Starmer felt.
British citizens are in danger of becoming inured to seeing their leaders wearing political sackcloth and ashes, expressing sorrow and shame, so often does it seem to happen these days.The guru showing Alternative for Germany how to use social media to win votes and influence young people However, the Grenfell disaster, in which 72 people needlessly lost their lives, was on a scale so horrific, and the failings of the public and private organisations involved so stark, it set an entirely new, depressing standard for failure.Starmer appeared to acknowledge this conundrum when, in his sombre address, he briefly glanced up at victims’ families in the public gallery and admitted that “words can lose their meaning” in such situations.
Betty Mendy, the sister of Mary Mendy who died with her daughter Khadija Saye in the Grenfell fire, during a press conference given by families of 34 of the 72 people killed in the Grenfell Tower Fire in 2017. Photorgaph: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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