In the immediate aftermath of the fire lots of stories came out about how residents had protested for many years about the poor fire safety conditions of the flat and had been largely ignored. It's not difficult to find written records of this from before the fire -- although of course, like most people, I knew nothing about this at the time (why should I?).
In those circumstances it's going to be very difficult indeed to secure the confidence of the residents and those directly affected by this fire in any sort of enquiry. Why should they trust people who come from the same sort of background as those who refused to listen before, for years and years and years? In that sense, I understand their feelings, because how can they feel anything other than a seething and righteous anger and loss of faith in the official process and in anyone who represents that process?
I still hold that objectively it's a nonsense, but I suspect that many people here would share those feelings subjectively, to some extent at least, if in the same position as Grenfell ex-residents.
The racial aspect of that criticism still bothers and saddens me, but I'm suggesting that it's a front for the real issue: that people will struggle to trust anyone who comes from the system that appears to have let them down in such a tragic way.
It's a wider issue than the fire and the inquiry, anyway. Perceptions are a powerful thing and very difficult to shake off. I don't think there's much point in sacking the appointed judge, and replacing him with someone more acceptable to the community, because (a) who even is that, and (b) the best thing to challenge the perception is for the appointed judge to deliver an honest, open, and correct verdict despite what people thought he might do.
I haven't seen what mikey said in response to the question put to him, but that's *my* answer anyway. Anger at being ignored for so long is very difficult to set aside, and any sense that being (largely) ignored is just going to continue will provoke yet more anger and distrust.