Justify this
I have worked out that I gave my details out eleven times at least, possibly more, but by 24th October I was still, apparently, not on an official Department of Culture Media and Sport list of survivors, and nor were many other passengers. This is staggeringly incompetent: I and other people managed to climb out of a bombed train, find each other, look after each other, and now we have almost 100 survivors’ names and details.We have executed a successful media strategy, helped each other find counsellors, fill in compensation firms, find lawyers, medical help, dealt with hundreds of media enquiries, safeguarded ourselves from nutters and wierdoes trying to infiltrate the group, organised a 6 month memorial ceremony, set up a website, campaigned for a public enqury, liased with the police, all whilst holding down a day job and recovering from injuries and PTSD. And nobody has given us any funding: we haven’t asked for it we did it all by ourselves, for free. Meanwhile someone, somewhere has a salary or a grant and a job decription that is about looking after victims of July 7th. I’d like to know what they are bloody well doing, frankly.
However you look at it, Rachel North and the other survivors of the July 7 bombings have been badly, inexcusably let down. They’ve had to fight for every scrap of help and recognition. I’d like to hear a government minister try and justify this. No doubt it’d be hand-wringing laments of being “unable to go into details of individual cases” and “things are improving” and “INSERT NON-SPECIFIC PLATITUDE HERE”.
No wonder the Government don’t want a public inquiry into the bombings. Tales of the careless, aloof, unfeeling and incompetent treatment of these people are the last thing this grubby and limping administration needs right now.
Rachel says she’s tired. All this has made her unwell. She’s talking of taking a break from her blog. I hope when she’s rested and found some peace she’ll come back to us.
Where’s a journalist with balls when you need one?
Posted on March 23rd, 2006 at 10:00pm under Comment is Free, Off Yoghurt, T.W.A.T., The home front, UK politics
1. Congrats on the new template
2. Blog fatigue is a common complaint these days, shouting in vain is what most of us do here anyway.
3. Where’s a journalist with balls when you need one?
4. See number 3.
Blair: the head, the tail, the whole damn thing…
As you can see, it’s a beautiful day, the beaches are open, and the folks here are having a wonderful time (and I’m sure you can guess which movie I watched last night)… New Statesman – The men in grey……
Thank you xx