Will Grenfell tragedy lead to genuine change for the better?

A horrific fire in New York is still remembered today because of the safety regulations it inspired, writes Laura Waddell

The fate of politicians is rarely the important story, but it certainly gets in the way. Jacob Rees-mogg’s recent comments on Grenfell, speculating about having the ‘common sense’ to ignore advice from the fire brigade unlike, presumably, those who perished, were deservedly criticised.

‘Gaffe’, a word meaning an unintentional act or error causing embarassment, became the dominant summary in much news media. But the word is nowhere near appropriate, not least because it ascribes benevolence to its subject, and the remarks were both callous and cruel. The presumption of intellectual superiority is chilling, with echoes of Hillsborough critics. But demonising the vulnerable of society with a focus on perceived personal failings fits snugly within wider conservative ideology under which the gap between rich and poor has widened.

Rees-mogg’s remarks came just days after the release of a report critical of the fire service’s actions in 2017. In the same week, Corbyn’s green tie in Westminster, a symbol of Grenfell rememberance, was jeered by Conservative MPS before they were rebuked by their own Theresa May. So little time has passed since the tragedy. How could they not reconise the gesture? How is its meaning being squandered on boorish bravado?

Among the fire department are concerns a narrative is forming which moves responsibility away from the issues of cladding, safety renovation and the subject of complaints residents had prior to the tragedy. Combustible cladding like that used on Grenfell has yet to be removed from many other tower blocks, despite a mid-2020 deadline. Attempts to reform fire safety laws are ongoing. In the meantime, residents in similar buildings must live with the stress. Taking a look at history shows where momentum around Grenfell has the potential to go, if we don’t squander it.

On the Saturday afternoon of 25 March, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, caught fire just as workers’ shifts were ending. Nobody knows what caused the fire, although there are several theories. It could have been a rogue cigarette snuck in by one of the fabric cutters, or it could have been sparks from the machinery. There had also been a history of arson and insurance fraud in the garment industry in that area, but the owners were in the building that day with their children. No matter what caused the fire, it soon took off, blazing through the eighth floor, which was packed full of highly flammable textiles, and rising to the ninth and 10th. Workers on the eighth floor telephoned up to the 10th, but those on the ninth, without alarms or telephones, were caught off guard. Lax building regulations had allowed such factories to spring up in unsuitable buildings, but that was soon to change.

By the time a passer-by alerted the authorities, spotting smoke emerging from the eighth floor, workers were trying to escape. Some, including the owners, managed to get up to the roof in the available elevators – not something advised today – where they waited in safety, but soon the elevators were unable to cope with the warping effects of the heat and were forced to stop. So much pressure was put on the iron fire escape that it snapped and fell away from the building with 20 workers on it. Running out of options to escape the flames, some jumped into the elevator shafts, attempting to climb the cables, and