On the day Dame Margaret Thatcher's funeral, I've been thinking how much I've allowed myself to be affected, in recent times (and not just by the behaviour of some) but by others who are, perhaps, slightly less ruminative than myself.
For example - having already become somewhat disenchanted by the game - an evening in the company of a fan (i.e.fanatic) affected me so much that I watch very little association football on TV, these days. What disappointed me wasn't so much the reaction of those affected, but a failure to recognise the circumstances which caused their reaction; and that has led me to make a comparison between the football fans' sentiments and those which have been witnessed today.
So, insofar as the Heysel disaster was concerned, a judicial enquiry concluded that, "blame should not rest solely with the fans, and that some culpability lay with the police and authorities." There was also some concern expressed about poor condition of the stadium's structure.
Accordingly, whilst the behaviour of some Liverpool fans was utterly deplorable, poor policing and crumbling masonry were contributory factors. Nevertheless, disgruntled Everton fans' choose to concentrate on the effect rather than the cause; and that is why I believe that a comparison can be made between the two issues.
Only the most bitter opponents of Mrs. Thatcher (as she then was) would dispute the fact that her government inherited enormous problems which needed resolving. In other words, action was required and she succeeded in reducing (according to a recent TV news item) the annual number of days lost to strikes in the UK from three hundred million to two million. However, not unlike the aforementioned football fans, her detractors choose to ignore the cause and concentrate on the effect.
For my part, I believe history will look more favourably on Lady Thatcher than they ever will on Arthur Scargill; and I speak, by the way, as someone who (whilst not agreeing with them) so much admired the way he stuck to his principles that I sent a donation during his attempt to resist 'New' Labour candidates in a general election.
