The Truth

Posted

I was 9 years old when Hillsborough happened, still a shade too young to appreciate the enormity of the tragedy.

However as a young football fan, who had seen running battles between rival sets of fans, and between fans and police, seen the barbaric way that fans were penned in behind tall metal fences topped with rolls of barbed wire and tagged knife-like objects and had groups of hooligans with knives running right past him on more than one scary occasion, without even reaching double figures in age, it was abundantly clear that something was very wrong and danger was manifest.

I have recently tended to avoid such difficult subjects on my blog as it is way too easy to upset and offend anyone, but I have always felt strongly about it as it was the first such tragedy that had a connection to me in that it could have been the fans of any football team in the country.

I don’t especially want to make a political statement, but it was this government who changed the rules in parliament to allow any subject with 100,000 signatures on a government petition to be discussed in parliament which has led to this day which I am sure is a relief to the families. I know because I signed that petition as I have always felt very strongly about the perceived (and now confirmed) injustices.

The bravery and hard work of all those involved in bringing the truth to the public should be acknowledged and thanked.

There are way too many questions left though.

Why did the Conservative government of the day not question the original inquiry and accept the findings?
Why did the Labour government of 1997-2010 always brush the subject under the carpet?
Will there be any criminal prosecutions?
What else has been covered up?
What else have we been lied to about?

Whatever the questions and whatever future answers may be forthcoming, nothing will ever bring back the 96 and my heart continued to go out to all those personally affected and I dearly hope that this brings some peace.