Sorry is a Sorry Word!

I need to get onto my soap box this week as I am dismayed that society does not appear to learn from past mistakes.It is said that you learn by your mistakes but it is evident from recent events that our society does not learn but merely repeats wrongdoings over and over again. Working in health care education, I know of many instances where care has improved owing to an alteration of behaviour, due to learning and implementing that learning.

 The Hillsborough report is a harrowing read but it has finally unearthed the truth and exposed deceipt, poor leadership and inept professional services. This was a disaster waiting to happen and although initial reactions were understandable in that football did not have a good reputation and it was presumed that it was a pitch invasion and needed to be controlled, the eventual reaction to a major disaster was inexcusable. It appears that all services, not just one,reacted poorly and caused a chain of events that resulted in a greater number of deaths. The disgraceful wrong accusations and deflection of the truth in order to escape accountability, has damaged not only the grieving families, but our society. We should hang our heads in shame that it has taken 23 years for this truth to emerge and 96 families have had open wounds, compounded by the lies and cover ups.

We have not learnt as the recent Leveson inquiry demonstrated. This inquiry investigated the culture, practices and ethics of the media, examining the relationship of the press with the public, police and politicians. Similar practices of deceit and corruption emerge and as Leveson asks, who indeed 'guards the guardians?' You may expect this type of wrongdoings from an undeveloped country with despot leaders but surely not in civilised Britain. 

Apologies are now being uttered from a host of people or organisations as practices are exposed, but these apologies should have been offered before the spotlight exposed the deed. We are all accountable for our own actions and now this spotlight shines on the people or organisations who should take responsibility for their actions and put to right an injustice that has hovered over society for far too long.

More important now is the need to learn and assimilate that learning but instead we continue to have a tendency to repeat wrongs so how can we teach our children to respect and behave accordingly when they have poor role models from our leaders and 'gaurdians'? 

I have made many mistakes in my life as a mother, as a wife and as a person  but I hope I have learnt from them and improved. Where I have not, I apologise and can only strive to do better. I hope and pray that as a society we can do the same.