The Liverpool 96: Is the Game Up for Democracy?
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In 1989 ninety six Liverpool football fans died at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground, Hillsborough. The police and the authorities and much of the media blamed the supporters for the deaths. Hooliganism, drunkenness and so forth.
The senior police officer in charge of the game claimed the fans had forced open an exit gate thus causing a human crush that claimed ninety-six lives. The Sun newspaper claimed Liverpool fans had urinated over the dead and a police officer was beaten senseless whilst attempting to save a life.
The only true bit of the above statement is that ninety-six football fans died at Hillsborough.
After twenty-seven years it has finally been proven that the police, the other authorities and certain sections of the media knowingly lied in order to paint innocent people as hooligans and preserve the reputation of the police and authorities.
I doubt many in America will even be aware of the catastrophe at Hillsborough in 1989 and that’s fair enough.
I bother to mention the recent findings that the police and ‘authorities’ lied to preserve their reputation as, increasingly, those in authority will almost always lie to attain their own ends. It is quite possible that those in authority have always lied to preserve their status. It is a cynical view I grant you but, given the lies related to the 96 at Hillsborough who can say it isn’t the case?
It is no more than a small consolation that, in today’s world, those in authority are often more easily uncovered in their lies and machiavellian schemes to increase their well being – usually at the expense of ‘the little people’.
This, I believe, poses rather a problem for western democracies who, through being western democracies, are somewhat dependent on their elected leaders being at least reasonably honest.
I have just realised that I said ‘reasonably honest’ which suggests to me that I am beyond ever believing any leader can ever be completely honest – which is rather a depressing thought really.
Dictatorships such as Mugabe’s Zimbabwe or theocracies such as Iran we accept as invariably dishonest and rightly so. They are not democratic countries so their leaders will clearly have to be dishonest in order to retain their power. China and Saudi Arabia are politically dishonest. They are not democracies so the same general rule applies.
We in the west are democratic therefore honesty within our authorities is sacrosanct. That is the main reason why we are so much better than alternative methods of government and indeed we are.
However, we should never be naive enough to believe that our elected authorities are either truthful or honest if in so being does not suit their purpose.
On a ‘grand scale’ Blair’s dishonesty regarding the illegal war in Iraq is an obvious case in point.
Dishonesty in our supposedly democratic systems is a greater enemy to us than ISIS could ever be. The very fabric that binds our democracies together is under threat when ever an elected leader or, indeed, any figure of authority is found wanting.
When the lies reach down to relatively low levels of authority you have to ask the question ‘Is the game up for democracy?’
When ninety-six football fans died in 1989 at Hillsborough, their deaths were a direct result of police incompetence. The proof of that after twenty-seven years is now there for all to behold.
For twenty-seven years their mourning families had to live with the lies propagated by Merseyside police.
Merseyside is merely a small part of the UK.
When the lies of ‘authority’ can cause such harm and suffering when the ‘authority’ in question is so small on a national scale let alone an international scale what hope does democracy have?
Twenty-seven years ago, Merseyside police in a small area of The UK behaved as Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has behaved. They behaved as if the preservation of their reputation as they saw it mattered far more than the lives of innocents.
I could only weep for democracy as this story unfolded today. I could easily weep for the victims and their families but, for democracy and the truth and honesty on which it depends, I wept for it’s demise in one small part of the world and one small part of the UK.
NEVER trust authority. If you do it may well kill you and then blame you for your own death.
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Damn good article.
On an optimistic note, now that everyone has a video camera in their pocket, it is much harder for government authorities to abuse power. Had there been an army of video cameras at Hillsborough, they would not have been able to hide for 25 years.
The increase in reports of murder and violence perpetrated by the police in the U.S. is simply a result of better evidence — it has always occurred.
Democracy requires transparency and an independent press. At least technology is affording us more transparency.
Bunch of drunk footballers was what it was. And maybe drunk cops.
I can only assume that you are also drunk Anon. If anyone was sober it was the footballers you plonker!
The fans may well have imbibed a few beers but drunken hooligans they certainly weren’t.
The cops were not drunk either. Incompetent yes but not drunk.
If I am correct in my assumption that you were drunk when you wrote this Anon then good for you matey!
As I understand it the police were just following orders from their superintendent, who lied about everything later by blaming the footballers.