Dave Watts: Those responsible for Hillsborough cover-up should hang their heads in shame

10:26am Friday 21st September 2012 in News

The parents of Nicholas Joynes, pictured, live in Sutton. The parents of Nicholas Joynes, pictured, live in Sutton.

AS the full horror of the Hillsborough disaster and subsequent cover up was revealed last week, MPs with strong links to the tragedy have welcomed the findings.

Dave Watts’ friend David Hawley was one of the 96 who lost their lives at the FA Cup semi final in 1989.

The 39-year-old was not the only fan from St Helens who was killed. Nicholas Joynes had been married for six months, when he died, aged just 27.

His parents Patricia and Peter from Sutton have been heavily involved in the call for the documents to be made public.

A vocal campaigner for the disclosure of the documents, Watts, the Labour MP for St Helens North, said: “What this has done is demonstrated 100 per cent, the lies spread by the media, in particular the Sun and the police were completely untrue and they should all hang their heads in shame.

“After 20 years, the families have cleared the names of their loved ones. It’s already terrible to lose a loved one, but the fact that the media spread such bad stories about them.

It became part of the psyche because people believed it.

“It was a shocking cover up. It demonstrates weaknesses in how we deal with tragedies like this to make sure it’s investigated properly and hold people to account.

“This is a shocking and damning report, but at least the families know the truth.” He said the report raises question at government level and about the judicial review, which he says “didn’t see all the evidence available”.

Watts also blamed the police and ambulance service, adding: “They should have owned up to failures so families were not left having to campaign for more than 20 years.

“It raises questions about whether people should be held accountable now. A lot of families just want the names of their loved ones cleared.”

Andy Burnham, the MP for Leigh, is a former St Aelred’s pupil in Newton-le-Willows and St Helens schools cricketer.

He instigated the process for disclosure of the documents when he was Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Speaking in the House of Commons, he said a “monumental cover up” had been exposed.

He said: “Finally the full horror of Hillsborough has been revealed; a catalogue of neglect, appalling failure and sheer mendacity; a tragedy that should have been prevented, lives that should have been saved.

“Devastating truths made far worse, not better for the passage of time. A 3.15pm cut off, with no legal, moral or medical justification.

“Parents only hearing today what happened to their children, because people whose job it was to protect them then turned against the victims.

“A monumental cover up and a sickening campaign of vilification against the victims, traumatised families and a city in shock.

“Does the Prime Minister agree with me that the names of the 96 Liverpool supporters at Hillsborough have been emphatically cleared?

“I thank him and the Home Secretary for supporting the disclosure process I initiated. Can I ask him to continue to work with us to right these wrongs and at long last bring justice for the 96.”

Comments(24)

pitbullboxing says...
1:27pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Band wagon Dave - does he do anything apart from token comments here and there?
I bet he wasn't as vocal when Tony the saviours new labour were in power - and if he was it wasn't very good. New Liebour had 13 years to do this.

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Sankey says...
3:05pm Fri 21 Sep 12

Dave Watts has spoken throughout on Hillsborough. I am not his biggest fan but this is not bandwaggon stuff. But more importantly Dave is right in this case. How an earth could this remain secret for 23 years and not have been known about in two enquiries including the 1997 review by Jack Straw. I simply cannot fathom it and it will be interesting to know how, why and by whom and whether this is more widespread in our legal and political system. My heart also goes out to the 41 victims who might have been saved with proper care in the immedate aftermath and the shock of their families only finding this out 23 years after having had to force the issue for all those years. I thank Dave Watts for his contribution on this issue which goes beyond political rivalries.

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smith&weston says...
6:22pm Fri 21 Sep 12

They should indeed hang their heads.... especially those members of new liebour who decided to continually block the release of the recently released papers whilst in office for 13 years. Thank you for your token.

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Sankey says...
10:27am Sat 22 Sep 12

Not sure about hanging heads in shame more like in fear as its possible some may be going to prison.

Manslaughter and perverting the course of justice both carry long prison sentances.

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quizling says...
12:11pm Sat 22 Sep 12

why are politicians sorry and remorseful ONLY AFTER being found out?23 years of government of both main parties and not one had the guts to reveal the underhanded and illegal tactics those responsible for what is manslaughter

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rosered1 says...
2:43pm Sat 22 Sep 12

This "independant report" was hardly that though was it? Every member on this panel was either from or represented Liverpool. I fail to see how this can be called "independent". Surely a fully independent panel would have had no ties to Liverpool, the police or Sheffield. By all means let us have the wrangling sorted out once and for all over where blame lies but lets have it done properly and not by a panel of people who are leaning too far to the side of one party or the other.

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chasmcn says...
5:59pm Sat 22 Sep 12

pitbullboxing wrote:
Band wagon Dave - does he do anything apart from token comments here and there?
I bet he wasn't as vocal when Tony the saviours new labour were in power - and if he was it wasn't very good. New Liebour had 13 years to do this.
funny i thought it was labour that set up this new inquiry into Hillsborough all credit to local lad andy burnham

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Sankey says...
6:14pm Sat 22 Sep 12

rosered1 wrote:
This "independant report" was hardly that though was it? Every member on this panel was either from or represented Liverpool. I fail to see how this can be called "independent". Surely a fully independent panel would have had no ties to Liverpool, the police or Sheffield. By all means let us have the wrangling sorted out once and for all over where blame lies but lets have it done properly and not by a panel of people who are leaning too far to the side of one party or the other.
If you care to google the panel first before posting you would find only one is from Liverpool the bishop of Liverpool. Parliment structured the panel following work by Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham Labour MP's

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pitbullboxing says...
10:19pm Sat 22 Sep 12

chasmcn wrote:
pitbullboxing wrote:
Band wagon Dave - does he do anything apart from token comments here and there?
I bet he wasn't as vocal when Tony the saviours new labour were in power - and if he was it wasn't very good. New Liebour had 13 years to do this.
funny i thought it was labour that set up this new inquiry into Hillsborough all credit to local lad andy burnham
So why were they not so chivalrous as to release the findings? Perhaps they were to busy making the world the most dangerous it's ever been by illegally invading two countries (big up to bishop tutu) or getting whiston hospital into massive amounts of debt.

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rosered1 says...
4:18am Sun 23 Sep 12

Sankey wrote:
rosered1 wrote:
This "independant report" was hardly that though was it? Every member on this panel was either from or represented Liverpool. I fail to see how this can be called "independent". Surely a fully independent panel would have had no ties to Liverpool, the police or Sheffield. By all means let us have the wrangling sorted out once and for all over where blame lies but lets have it done properly and not by a panel of people who are leaning too far to the side of one party or the other.
If you care to google the panel first before posting you would find only one is from Liverpool the bishop of Liverpool. Parliment structured the panel following work by Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham Labour MP's
I have "googled" the panel and they are listed here
http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/sport/footbal
l/teams/liverpool/95
37752/The-Hillsborou
gh-Independent-Panel
.html#

Bishop of Liverpool
Peter Sissons ~ Born in Liverpool and a Liverpool supporter
Two further members of that panel had already published versions of "who was at fault" prior to being invited to this panel, etc.
Perhaps you should clue yourself up a little Sankey before you start stating things as facts when you obviously are not as knowledgeable as you wish to appear.
All I am stating is that this particular panel was not as "independent" as everyone is assuming they are towards both parties.

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chasmcn says...
8:48am Sun 23 Sep 12

pitbullboxing wrote:
chasmcn wrote:
pitbullboxing wrote:
Band wagon Dave - does he do anything apart from token comments here and there?
I bet he wasn't as vocal when Tony the saviours new labour were in power - and if he was it wasn't very good. New Liebour had 13 years to do this.
funny i thought it was labour that set up this new inquiry into Hillsborough all credit to local lad andy burnham
So why were they not so chivalrous as to release the findings? Perhaps they were to busy making the world the most dangerous it's ever been by illegally invading two countries (big up to bishop tutu) or getting whiston hospital into massive amounts of debt.
well seeing as the panel was set up over 3yrs ago and took that long to go though the 400,000 documents and the findings were release after that due process but to accuse labour of a cover up over Hillsborough just shows how blinkered you are .As for Iraq and Afghanistan i don't think we should be or have been there , PFI is here to stay no matter who is power started by the tories carried on by labour and the coalition as signed off more PFI projects then labour ever did in 13 yrs in 21/2 years they have been in power neo-liberal way of the world pitbull which you are a supporter of .

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pitbullboxing says...
9:47am Sun 23 Sep 12

That I'm a supporter of? I don't support any party , I think they are all pants. I just think the "left" supporters get played like fiddles more. As for being blinkered and accusing them of a cover up , I don't I just think they were as bad as the last Tory government for not releasing them , I don't think they were complicit in any cover up.

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Sankey says...
10:07am Sun 23 Sep 12

rosered are you saying the panel fabricated the evidence? Peter Sissons was born in liverpool so what. But in any case its irrelavant the panel's terms of referance were NOT to make value judgements but just gather evidence. This they have done and its publically free to read. When the value judgement will come hopefully is quashing the orginal verdict and a new enquiry. Thats the decision the attorney general is deciding now. For me the new enquiry is critical because I want to evaluate that evidence and see the what, the who and the why on ALL the evidence. For 23 years that has been denied and should have been based on ALL the evidence from day one. And why evidence was excluded is one of the answers we need.

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mikeperry109 says...
3:34pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Far too important an issue to score political points. Well done Andy Burnham for setting up the investigative panel - it is only a pity that it did not happen sooner, then the families of the 96 would have had the truth in the '90s, when those culpable could have been charged.

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rosered1 says...
5:11pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Sankey wrote:
rosered are you saying the panel fabricated the evidence? Peter Sissons was born in liverpool so what. But in any case its irrelavant the panel's terms of referance were NOT to make value judgements but just gather evidence. This they have done and its publically free to read. When the value judgement will come hopefully is quashing the orginal verdict and a new enquiry. Thats the decision the attorney general is deciding now. For me the new enquiry is critical because I want to evaluate that evidence and see the what, the who and the why on ALL the evidence. For 23 years that has been denied and should have been based on ALL the evidence from day one. And why evidence was excluded is one of the answers we need.
I am certainly not saying that anyone fabricated evidence. What I am saying is that with at least 4 representatives on the panel all with interests in either Liverpool or Liverpool FC, that panel is hardly the "independent" panel it claims.

And you seemed to overlook the fact that Peter Sissons was not just born in Liverpool but is a supporter of LFC so that hardly makes him independent either.

People are now viewing this report as the final word on what happened that day and that is a wholly wrong judgement to make. The remit should surely be, as you state, who did what and who caused what to happen.

Seeing as you think the panels independence is not relevant, as they were not there to make value judgements, then perhaps they should hsve held their "findings" a little closer to their chest rather than launching their opinion to the media as they did.

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Sankey says...
6:07pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Rosered they did not launch their opinions to the media they were at pains to point out they did not makle value judgements. That phrase is not mine it was the phrase the bishop used in the press conference. What we need now is a new enquiry with ALL the evidence. Then and only then can this be put to rest.

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frankly says...
6:25pm Sun 23 Sep 12

labour at fault ,what a joke....seems now that Maggie and Douglas Hurd knew a bit about the truth but stayed stumm

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frankly says...
6:31pm Sun 23 Sep 12

THE Thatcher Government tipped off police who covered up the truth over Hillsborough about the contents of a damning report, we can reveal.



Less than four months after the 1989 tragedy in Sheffield, which led to the deaths of 96 Liverpool football fans, an interim report by Lord Justice Taylor found police to blame.




And previously secret ­documents show the man who authorised a cover-up was ­desperate for an early copy of the findings.




Minutes from a top-level meeting attended by senior Home ­Office officials, including then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd, show how South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Peter Wright also wanted “the help of the Home Office in preparing his ­reaction”.

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pitbullboxing says...
9:38pm Sun 23 Sep 12

http://news.bbc.co.u
k/democracylive/hi/h
ouse_of_commons/news
id_9750000/9750850.s
tm


Here Milliband apologises saying Labour could have done more in their time in power.

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frankly says...
12:06am Mon 24 Sep 12

And so could the Tories before them

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frankly says...
12:14am Mon 24 Sep 12

They did have until 1997 after all

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frankly says...
12:20am Mon 24 Sep 12

And now its come to light that Yorks Police tried to change Bobby Robson interview, he was at the game as England Manager

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pitbullboxing says...
1:55pm Mon 24 Sep 12

So they were both wrong then - as I was saying.

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Sankey says...
9:40am Tue 25 Sep 12

To be honest which political party is the blame most does not interest me. Lets quash the old enquiry and have a fair new enquiry (for all parties involved that day including the fans) using all the evidence.

Surely no one can disagree with that?

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