The Grenfell ‘web of blame’ as presented by Counsel (Millett, KC) to the Inquiry’s closing submissions.
Not much to say about this, as I’m posting a study tomorrow which applied network analysis to this web of blame.
But it’s noted that actors distributed throughout across multiple societal levels contributed to spinning a web of blame.
The web of blame included accusations, defences, and counter-accusations.
Millett argued that:
“you can begin to hear that many core participants have adopted a particular technique; namely, the deflection of criticism by reference to causative relevance, and then, in turn, to take a narrow and technical approach to causative relevance in order to escape blame for the fire and the ensuing deaths, but then to blame others without any regard necessarily to causative impact”.
Further, many of the “failings … revealed by the fire and the evidence about it are redolent of a culture pervasive through these organisations of dissociation, blame−shifting and defensiveness to cover up incompetence, lack of skill and experience, false and unverified assumptions, and plain carelessness or lack of engagement”.
And, from evaluating the evidence, one is struck by “how many witnesses thought that something was somebody else’s job, but never bothered to check.”
Links in comments (and network analysis study posted tomorrow).
Refs:
Millett, R. (2022). Closing submissions: Grenfell Tower Inquiry – Web of Blame. Retrieved from UK Government Web Archive
Morby, A. (2022). Grenfell firms accused of spinning a ‘web of blame’. Construction Enquirer.
Shout me a coffee (one-off or monthly recurring)
1. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20250320074237mp_/https://prodgti.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/Grenfell%20Web%20of%20Blame.pdf?VersionId=u4UrBx.EEpbYUh0w7ussLrNu5LoSp4pu
2. https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2022/11/11/grenfell-firms-accused-of-spinning-a-web-of-blame/
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