In the UK, which I hate as a term as ‘united’ we are not, there is undeniable levels of class and crass cover ups. The Hillsborough revelations of the last 24 hours are sensational and tragic and unfortunately is anything but an isolated incident. There are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and the whole spectrum of the family and through to friends who found out on 12th of September that not only did criminal negligence by the authorities serve to put those who died to their death, they also found out that some 41 of the departed were denied access to the care which may have saved their lives. In essence those 41 lay dying on the pitch as the chaos reigned. If the thought of this brings, and justly so, a lump to your throat, then just think how the families feel.<\/p>\n
How did we get into a position where the actions that followed could be allowed? A wholesale cover up by emergency services, the press, politicians and no doubt much more.<\/p>\n
The problem as I see it has its genesis in the Thatcher-led Conservative government and its economic policy which set to accentuate the class-divide, trod on the downtrodden and create a culture whereby arrogance of those in power meant that there was seemingly no recourse for punitive actions that were so illegal they would make Ronnie Biggs blush.<\/p>\n
Look at the actions of Thatcher’s government. They destroyed industry in this country. For a country which is quite literally built on coal her decision to import coal from Eastern Europe rather than make a deal with the strikers told you she was quite able to detach herself from reality when personal goals came in. She showed all the traits that you would associate with a psychopath; no empathy, no compassion and a focus on her ideology, however flawed. She wanted to crush the working class and the possibility of there ever being a true Labour movement again. And, for Labour supporters out there who say that there is still a Labour party, yeah right! Your history has about as much credence as Sevco’s.<\/p>\n
She also sunk an Argentine battleship as it made its journey away from the Falklands and outside of territorial waters. Why? To win an election. This was mass murder on a grand scale. The papers covered this up too… funny that.<\/p>\n
Then there was the Poll Tax and making Scotland a human guinea pig for the most flawed tax since feudal days. Knowing there was no need for Tory votes in Scotland – because there wasn’t any – she ran roughshod over our nation in an ill-conceived experiment that united Scotland in hatred off her, her party and her tax.<\/p>\n
But, she kinda got away with it. No matter what Cameron and his ilk say, there is no way the upper echelons on the 1989 Tory Party did not know what had happened in Sheffield that fateful day. I don’t believe it and you, Tory bastards that you are, have a proven history of lying.<\/p>\n
Thatcher’s government set in motion a series of actions and policies that tore apart the social fabric of this country. She made homeowners of the poor, giving them the illusion of middle-class with the poverty of working-class as she then tore their jobs from under then. She turned towns from hubs where doors were unlocked into dark streets adorned with twitching curtains as trust was replaced with fear and envy. In the City the Tory economics created a place where greed is good and your friend is only a friend if he\/she can bring you financial reward.<\/p>\n
In reality, a Thatcherite government would never happen in a world where social networking and mass media mean that actions can be scrutinised and bloggers drown out the establishment song of the compliant media. But it did and its shockwaves are still being felt. She created an environment through bombing warships, beating miners, destroying communities and pandering to the rich which meant that the police in Hillsborough felt that they could get away with it. Remember, the South Yorkshire police were Thatcher’s blackshirts during the miners’ strikes and the doled out beatings with impunity during this period, coincidentally not long before Hillsborough. They believed they were immune to the consequences of their actions because the Tories made it that way. It was just some daft scallys after all.<\/p>\n
But the real story is today is no different. You have the hacking scandal, Iraq WMDs, the banking crash and even the arrogance of the old Rangers football club to show that people in power, especially where money is involved, still believe themselves to be detached from the consequences of their decisions. The follow up and punishments doled out after each of these serve only to validate this belief. Let’s hope Hillsborough is different and people see jail time. Unfortunately, we know Thatcher and her cohorts will never be brought to tell us what they really know.<\/p>\n
Liverpool’s Justice for the 96 movement showed what can be achieved through dogged persistence. Celtic fans showed through their continual pursuit of the truth with regards to Rangers’ cheating what can be achieved.<\/p>\n
No matter your creed or football affiliation, you too should never allow those in power hide the truth. You can play a part. You should play a part. You will play a part. If we allow a culture whereby a Hillsborough can happen again then we only have ourselves to blame. Think about what you can do to help prevent that, no matter how small.<\/p>\n
Maybe we should turn our attention to Thatcher now…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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