My Ultimate Crash Course

Hello again to one and all.

So I'm here. I'm in Nottingham for University and I have just been through (and survived may I add) my fresher’s weeks. I must admit, right now I'm feeling more like death than anything else. But still, as best I can I shall try to reflect on what has been an incredible week.

Now, one of the main worries of any fresher when they start is am I going to make new friends? Will I be all alone in a place where I have never socialised, let alone lived before? Of course those worries disappear almost immediately as everyone is basically in the same position. I have lost count of how many times I have smiled, waved and talked to people I have never met before in my life. The first night was interesting because at first you have only been in your flat so when you go to another one to pre-drink you get that feeling of apprehension that you had only just felt at the beginning of the day.

I need not have worried though because everyone I have met has been extremely friendly & welcoming to anyone who wants to have a chat. My flat is awesome! Four girls and two guys, including me so a nice balance ;) So thanks to them for helping make this week a great experience, along with the friends I've made from other flats & from my course induction. Credit must go to our reps as well. They have been a proper source of fun and advice (nothing educational though which is perfect) and generally helping us through fresher’s week.

A special mention must be made for the chants on the bus on the way to the clubs. Hilarious but unfortunately stuff that can now be typed in full, in case of offense caused to not only normal web surfers, but to residents of Gill Street so I'll just stick with the best one;

T.R.E.N.T! We are the T.R.E.N.T Army!

It's kind of weird actually. You're with people for a week and it feels like you have been with them for years. There might even be the case where you spend loads of time with people this week but now our courses begins, you might barely see them, let alone talk to them. Either way there's always facebook ;)

And now I come to the matter of the clubs. Put simply Nottingham nightlife is awesome! Ocean especially has a great atmosphere not to crowded plenty of space for general movement, to dance & of course whatever you wish to do on the dance floor ;) Of course you can do this at other clubs too, and you'll probably get more special guests in a place like Oceana for example. For example Reggie Yates was in there Wednesday night that was a good set after technical problems were sorted. Overall though, very good nights occurred out and about in Nottingham. It's probably helped by the fact that for most places drinks are relatively cheap. Whether that will stay the same now fresher’s week is done & dusted remains to be seen.

In addition there was the slight matter of course induction this week. I actually enjoyed what was in the end basically a sightseeing trip so now I have some rough bearings of Nottingham. I'm going to need it. The Broadcast Journalism course has got a lot of practical element, which look really fun and perfect to get stuck into, but that will need a good understanding of the local area, but I'm sure that will come with time as the year goes on.

So all in all a very good week. It certainly exceeded my expectations anyway. Now the hard work begins. I've got my first 10-4 day tomorrow which especially after not doing proper work for nearly four months could be interesting, then later is Swimming Trials. Words cannot describe how much I want to get onto the competitive team. After really enjoying watching it at the Olympics and the fact it is one of the sports that makes up the Charity Varsity Series between Nottingham Trent & Uni of Nottingham, I have this real urge to try out another sport and see if I'm any good at it. You never know. I take inspiration from the fact the Olympic Gold Medallist in boxing, Team GBs Anthony Joshua only took up boxing only four years ago, then won Gold at London 2012. If I'm unsuccessful then I'll still go for the social stuff and fitness. Hey, I need to work off the weight put on from all the booze & pizza consumed this week somehow!

So to conclude, I would say that this has been my Ultimate Crash Course in University life. And I would like to think that I, my flatmates & new friends have passed with flying colours :-)

Bring on the rest of the year!

The Truth

Well what a day it has been. The Hillsborough Independent Panel delivered its report today and after having a quite detailed skim through it (http://hillsborough.independent.gov.uk/ if anyone’s interested) it does at time make quite uncomfortable reading.

I must admit, I had been slightly unsure of what the general verdict would be. This is probably not helped by the fact I was not even born at the time of the disaster and don't live in Liverpool. I feared that if legitimate documentation stated that Liverpool fans were partly to blame for this tragedy then it would not be accepted by the people of Liverpool, thus blurring the quest for justice.

Thank god that this has proved not to be the case, but now finally in its place is the truth. The whole truth. More than 100 police documents altered. The potential for 41 lives to be saved if it were not for the failures of the emergency services. Inaccurate briefings, first from South Yorkshire police to the government of the day, then from Local MPs to media outlets. It is truly shocking that senior figures of authority had the nerve to cover up so much vital information simply to cover their own backs when 96 families had to grieve & bury relatives as young as 8 years old.

Quite a few apologies have been issued today most notably by the Sun. Whilst, I suppose quite justifiably the families of the dead are not really interested in what they now have to say, I will give the Sun's editor a little bit of credit for facing the issue head on. As far as I am aware the majority of people who now work at the Sun (and South Yorkshire Police for that matter) were not working there at the times of the disaster so must not be shown any disdain by any angry people now searching for justice. The two people who I wouldn't give any time of day to are Kelvin Mackensie & David Duckenfield. I know Mackensie apologised today but it is very out of tune with his public utterance over recent year. Meanwhile Duckenfield is nowhere to be seen & to my knowledge he is still alive. Why can't he come out and say sorry for this sorry episode which ultimately destroyed his career!

As I've already stated I was not born at the time of the disaster. But since becoming a Liverpool supporter I have gradually learnt about it & what the fallout was. Perhaps the saddest thing about Hillsborough was that it took a tragedy like that to make football stadia what they are today. Safe, along with some of the best medical equipment in the world. Whatever football club you support, I think it is right that you know about Hillsborough. However harrowing it might, it is important to know about it as quite possibly it has turned out to be one of the reasons that football stadia is now a safe place to be. Even though Taylor report has been largely discredited today, its recommendations for improvement to football stadia remain valid & important.

On a quick side note, I saw a tweet earlier asking a small minority of Manchester United & Chelsea to stop chanting "Hillsborough" at matches. I totally agree with that, but it has to work both ways, as a stupid minority of Liverpool fans chant "Munich" at games. Please stop. It's sickening that some people can be that way.

Anyway, it is now time to step back. For 23 years the whole city of Liverpool, has united behind the efforts of the bereaved families to get justice for their loved ones. Now that we have the truth, it must be left to the authorities to do their work and subsequently for justice to take its course. Hopefully within the year this shall be all done & Liverpool as a whole will be able to move on.

I'd like to finish this post by saying well done to everyone who campaigned for the truth and I'm glad that the truth has come out. But there is one man who needs thanking more than most for his conduct in the days after the Hillsborough disaster. Kenny Dalglish. He went to every single funeral, made speeches acted as a counsellor & generally held the whole City together during its darkest days. So thank you King Kenny. And thank you all who believed in Liverpool fans version of event & realised that they were the ones not the Sun or the Police that were telling the truth.

If one thing can be taken that is truly positive from the past 23 years of this sorry tale is this. At Liverpool Football Club, whatever the circumstances may be You Will Never Walk Alone.