The Truth - At Last

The Truth - At Last

On Saturday 15th April 1989 I went to a football cup semi-final. My brother and I, indeed everyone who attended that game returned home safely. Unfortunately, for 96 people 260 miles away in Sheffield that was not possible.

The horror of Hillsborough unravelled on the TV screen when I returned home and as a Liverpool supporter, albeit at a distance, my heart broke for the victims and their families.

I attended Liverpool’s first game after the disaster and wept for those who hadn’t come home. Little did I think that it would be 23 years before the truth of that terrible day would be acknowledged.

Yesterday’s report from the independent panel highlighted the organisational failures of the FA, Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Wednesday, South Yorkshire Police, Ambulance service and the Coroner’s Office. All of these organisations should feel truly ashamed at how poorly they performed but the worst part of the story is the conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The despicable attempt to shift the blame from those responsible to the victims and the survivors is surely a low point for policing and indeed public life in the United Kingdom.

I have some questions for the individuals who conspired in this disgrace.

How would you have felt if it had been a member of your family who had died due to someone’s negligence?

Was your career so important to you that 96 people’s lives were so insignificant?

Was there no point in the intervening years where your conscience pricked you towards breaking ranks and telling the truth?

And finally and most importantly, how the hell do you sleep at night?

This country has been subjected to a number of moral failures over the past few years. Unapologetic bankers, greedy politicians and phone-hacking journalists but this is by far the worst. This is a conspiracy that goes into every branch of the state machine, all of it designed to protect the incompetent and the corrupt.

If the UK is to move forward from this low, every single individual person in public life should put morality at the very heart of everything they do. Treat those you serve with the respect they deserve and stop putting money, career advancement or self-preservation before what is truly important.

To my fellow Liverpool supporters and people of that wonderful city on the Mersey, I send my hope that finally there will be justice for the 96 who went to a football match and didn’t come home.

Paul Vincent Lee's Musical Journey

I must apologise to everyone for my lack of blogging activity recently. I have been throwing myself into getting book four written and have neglected these humble pages.
I am cheating a little on my return as the first blog is by another guest. Paul Lee is the first graduate of our "Self Publish & Sell" course to have released his book to the reading public. In this blog he reflects on some of the songs that he has loved through his life and that he still returns to when he is writing.

The first single I bought was Young Girl by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap back in 1968. Despite the controversial theme, it's a great song.

As I grew older my tastes began to change. Canadian, Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind Love" was thought provoking even if I didn't know what it was about.

Equally puzzling was "Tom Traubert's Blues" by Tom Waits. Although I love the original, I am going to pick Rod Stewart's cover version as I had to have Rod somewhere in this list.

As life progresses, inevitably your taste in music diversifies. The king of reggae - Bob Marley - gave me a whole new perspective and "No Woman, No Cry" is one of his finest songs.

For a period in my life, music and work went hand-in-hand. One of my favourite songs from that time is "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Michael McDonald, who I think is the best white soul ever.

Which brings me Soul and the best years of my life. I ran the Rococo Club in Hamilton where both the music and the atmosphere were amazing. There are almost too many tracks to choose from but I've decided to go with the genius that is Marvin Gaye and "Sexual Healing."

Life then took me to Spain and although I enjoyed my time there, I did get homesick from time to time. "Home" by Michael Buble" captures that feeling.

Another song which evokes that time for me is "Loch Lomond" by Runrig. This sentimental folk song was transformed into a raucous stadium anthem by the band from the Western Isles.

I'm still exploring new music and one artist I've grown to love recently is Lori McTear and here she is performing in George Square in Glasgow.

And that leaves the one song that is my number one choice. Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road", a song that encapsulates all that is great about music, singing and life.

From the sublime to the ridiculous. My guilty pleasure is "McArthur Park" by Richard Harris. It's a naff song but I like it.

Thanks Paul for this diverse list of songs and my apologies for the delay in posting it. He did mention "Seasons in the Sun" as a possible guilty pleasure but I couldn't inflict that on my poor readers. Sorry Paul.

Paul's book is called "Defending Joe" and it is a dark, twisting tale of murder set in Glasgow and Spain. It's a great read for anyone who loves a crime story with multiple suspects, a Glaswegian sense of humour and shock or two along the way.

You can follow Paul on Twitter - @Leeauthor or visit his website.

If you would like to follow in Paul's footsteps and publish and sell your book, why not learn more about it at our "Self Publish & Sell" course at the end of this month.