Hillsborough

Well said, mate. As the descendant of several generations of mineworkers, I for one will never forget the brutality of the S Yorks police at Orgreave and the subsequent lies of the press to cover up their behaviour. It is no surprise they acted so callously at Hillsborough.

I never believed for one moment the justice campaign was just Scousers wallowing in self-pity. Now they have been vindicated.

 

I am ashamed to say my friend that I did feel that way due to the fact that I trusted the BBC & ITN.

 

To be fair Billy the BBC and ITN reported information put out by a reputable news agency in Sheffield. They were not to know that they had been 'leaned on' and misled by the local police chief and other people in authority at that time. As Jack Straw said today the Thatcher government made S Yorks police believe they were untouchable. Now we know the depths to which they went to cover up their incompetence and downright criminal behaviour.

 

northumbria police are no better, ask some of the lads who were on their way back from edinborough a couple of years ago (central station)

 

The video evidence shows what had happened, no I wasn't there, nor was I at the Heysel stadium either, I'm not basing anything on the Sun newspaper either. I don't believe it was right for the police to take blood samples & check records of the dead either to try & bale themselves out, but, the emergency services were staffed according to the number of people who were due to turn up for that game, ie, the ticket holders, this was far exceeded by non ticket holders who turned up, then there were those who instead of going to the ground straight away or within a reasonable length of time sat in pubs drinking till just before the kick-off, that didn't help, I'm not laying the blame at one person or one group of people, I'm saying there was more than one reason that caused that chain of events to lead to so many people losing there lives. Now we have had an inquiry about Hillsbrough, how about an inquiry into Heysel!

 

I think that what needs to be remembered is the political culture that existed that time under the Thatcher government. The police were used as a tool to put down any kind of political and social decent, and in return were virtually placed above the law for any actions they took. 95% 0f the media were also used as Thatcher's puppets, ridiculing the political opposition and backing her ultra-right wing stance. These combined helped her to stay in power for 3 general election victories despite the country suffering record levels of unemployment and crime.

 

Shieldscat, u come across as anti Liverpool to be honest and still seem to be clinging to the lies the police told. It has been dismissed that the fans were to blame.

Loads of people drink at matches and loads of people go late and people go without tickets.

This never lead to deaths of 96 people in other grounds. 50 lives could have been saved if the authorities had acted responsibly.

I'm not anti police at all but I think you are barking up the wrong tree.

 

Was anyone at the York away game in the 1987-88 season, when we (the Sunderland supporters
s) got there the ground was not open, then when we got in the area behind the goal was packed and we were nearly crushed, and that is why they spilled onto the pitch and there could have been a disaster there, and they bring that up every so often that that was a riot !.

 

I'm not anti Liverpool, nor am I anti police, I'm not pro Liverpool or pro police either, all have said is what I saw in the television pictures, what I'm trying to say is I think there is still more to this than going for the soft option of blaming the police or other emergency services, there was enough cover from both for the amount of people expected to attend, the ticket holders.

 

You can't pass off "fans go without tickets all the time" as if it's nothing Tony. The police were mostly to blame and did some disgusting things, but if no one commited the crime of going in ticketless, that is another way the disaster could have been avoided.

 

For anyone who's interested the full report can be found here.

http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1213/hc05/0581/0581.pdf

It almost happened three times in the same end, at the same ground before it actually did.
The incompitantcies uncovered are beyond belief.

 

I suggest you both read the report if you can be bothered.

 

Have read the main parts mate, and as I said, police massively in the wrong, could easily have prevented it, they were at fault on so many levels for failing to deal with the situation etc etc etc, however my point still stands.

 

Mistakes were made and circumsyances weren't good. People make mistakes all the time, and the combination of events that unfolded were unsavoury to say the least. Perhaps there is no one to blame for the actual event, a whole set of factors conspired to create an unfortunate day. But to try and cover this up is bang out of order. Perhaps it is not right either to lay blame solely on one aspect of the part scenario as a whole.

 

Correctemundo.

 

Are you a pikey, wandering minstrel or just a sad soul lost in the wilderness?

 

All 3.

 

Turn around so you are facing north & walk in that direction. .