The historical links of the Caribbean result in several nations having ties with the islands, providing a ready source of aid in the current devastation caused by Irma. France and Holland assembled assets and personnel on the islands falling within their jurisdiction in advance of the storm, knowing full well the severity of the forecast.
But not the British. Oh dear me no. The government was far too busy arguing internally about Brexit to worry about external threats to British dependencies from hurricanes. So we were on familiar ground when a clip of a flustered May appeared on the news telling us that the government had acted swiftly to respond to the devastation when everybody knows this is plainly not the case. Moreover the tardy performance of HMG compares very badly to the timely action of the French and the Dutch.
We have been here before in the dreadful aftermath of Grenfell Tower. It underscores a fundamental lack of judgement and a chronic incompetence which infests May’s administration. The only thing we can be sure of is that there will be more of it. The excuse circulating that it is necessary to wait until the islands are flattened in order to assess what is needed is plainly ridiculous. The answer, as the authorities very well know and prepare for, is everything. It is the people giving the orders at the top who need shaming.