From its all-white period dramas to the all-white cast of Notting Hill, Britain would have you believe that it is as clean – and as white – as the pristine pillars of Mayfair that appear in the background of every London-based fashion blogger’s Instagram feed. We don’t have the same “race issues” that America has; class isn’t a big deal anymore; and while we may be a nation reserved in nature, we are a forward-thinking, progressive society – a shining beacon of democracy for the rest of the world to look towards. And of course, there is London, one of the greatest cities on earth! The most lustrous diamond in a modern-day Crown Jewels and a city that every other city would hope it may one day be like.
But that is a lie.
A mirage constructed from the blood-stained remains of an empire with delusions of grandeur. If you want to know the real London – the real Britain – just look no further than the smouldering wreck of Grenfell House in West London. The events leading up to and following the tragedy that has claimed so many lives is one of the most accurate reflections of “Great” Britain that will you ever see. In the wake of Brexit and the most recent snap election, politicians and pundits wring their hands at how “divided” our country is. The truth is that this divide is a great feat of British engineering, purposely orchestrated and maintained with great effort. The real issue is not the divide, but the threat of its exposure. The thin façade is giving way and the Great Lie is becoming less plausible by the day.
If it was not harrowing enough to watch a residential building burn or hear the cries of families begging to be rescued, the details that have come to light in the aftermath will make your blood run cold. One of the wealthiest boroughs in the UK appears to have consistently underfunded social housing provision for its poorer residents, in order to give tax refunds to its wealthiest and keep its cash reserves well-stocked. The landlords charged with maintaining the tower block ignored the fire safety concerns of those living there for years, threatening some with legal action as a reward for their persistence. Rather than invest in infrastructure that would save lives, millions of pounds were spent making the outside of the tower block pretty for the benefit wealthy of homeowners that might find the view from their million-pound property obstructed by it. And to add to the list of criminal negligence, for a mere £6,000 extra, the cheap and illegal cladding that sent flames raging through the building could have been upgraded to something more fire resistant. But that £6,000 was deemed more important than the hundreds of souls that gave life to that concrete block. A community has been destroyed for the sake of a few digital zeros in an already overflowing bank account.
In what civilised society is life valued so cheaply? Well, in a country where a government would funnel money into grammar schools in leafy suburbs, over giving vulnerable school children a hot meal. This is the same country where nurses are told to survive on the charity of strangers, but the ruling party doubles unearned benefits for its members who lost jobs due to arrogance and incompetence. This “great” country where a bill to force landlords to take responsibility for the welfare of their tenants was voted down by 72 private landlords masquerading as servants of the people. This is Britain in 2017.
But if you have been paying attention, this won't surprise you. British media constantly quantifies the lives of the less privileged in terms of “how much they cost the taxpayer”. This nation was built on ideology that views humans as dead weight to be cast aside, or fuel to be consumed to power the ambitions of an elite class. The divide is deliberate, and it is maintained by tabloids that whip their readership into illogical racist frenzies and “public” inquiries obstructed by private interests. The agenda of the powerful is compounded by “well-meaning” liberal elites who derail conversations, dismiss the anger of the marginalised, and tell them to wait on the systems that failed them in the first place. This is the real London; the real England. This is the “Greatness” of Britain packaged in a pill that is impossible to swallow.
Ishmahil Blagrove had some strong words for the mainstream media outside #grenfelltower and everyone cheered. pic.twitter.com/ze1PoFz5zz
— Fiona Rutherford (@Fi_Rutherford) June 15, 2017
But there is another side. There is the London that gave more in donations than local centres knew what to do with; that shared food on the street the day after the tragedy, organised by churches and mosques in the absence of local government taking action. There is the side of the city that opened up their homes and gave their time sorting and packing donations, while the Prime Minister dodged surviving residents and officials stammered assignations of blame elsewhere. There is the England that filled cars in the Midlands with clothes and food to drive down to a smouldering community, and the England that saw single parents donating their weekly food budget to strangers whose whole lives burned up that night. There is the Britain that marched on the borough town hall in solidarity and swarmed Downing Street demanding answers.
There are at least two Londons, two Englands, two Britains. There is the side that puts profit before people, that rules with impunity then abdicates responsibility. They allowed the Grenfell tragedy to happen and are waiting for the news cycle to move on so they can get back to business as usual. But then there are those that come together in the face of tragedy, that channel rage and despair into activism and grassroot networks that catch those that fall through the gaping holes in state provision. We can often feel overwhelmed and small in the face of those wielding power, but as well as an anger that will not be placated, I feel hope. Seeing the way that thousands have mobilised over the last few days, I am reminded of the power of the people. But the structures we rail against are not easily broken. Shielded by a web of bureaucracy and excuses, there is the very real fear that no one will be held accountable for this incident of corporate manslaughter.
But as long as we can shout we can not let their lies go unchallenged; as long as we have our voices, we can never let their crimes be forgotten.