WHAT has happened to our society? Recent events such as the uncovering of the truth abouth the Hillsborough football stadium fiasco and the dishonesty of our leading politicians have prompted me to analyze the direction our society has taken.

Along with many others I am dismayed at the way we have degenerated into a society of deceit and lack of care toward our fellow man.

I was brought up, during and after the Second World War, taught to tell the truth and show respect and consideration toward others.

I resolutely passed this on to my children, they in turn have done the same with my grandchildren. I would be horrified if I found any one of them capable of acting in the manner that many prominent people act today.

What kind of message are they sending to our younger generation? It can only lead to anarchy and a total breakdown of society.

Sadly, this problem exists in all walks of life, in football, in management, in schools, in banking and worst of all in our police force and politicians.

It has become acceptable to lie and cheat your way out of trouble instead of facing your mistakes and apologising or correcting them with a little humility.

We all make mistakes, how we handle them is what matters.

We read the tabloids and watch the news on television and are bombarded daily with stories about celebrities and prominent or influential people in society showing little or no remorse about how badly they have treated others..

One disgraceful example of this is how the press have behaved recently in an attempt to sell a story. Many people’s lives have been destroyed by their exploits yet if it had not been for the public outrage it would still be happening now. Then of course there is the rare breed of honest politician – you need to be very astute to catch one these days.

I hope that for all my trepidation and dismay, someday honesty and integrity will return to our island.

There are still many good souls around us, who we don’t see or hear about, making a difference to the not so lucky. What a shame my rant has been only about the not so good.

‘Ole Bill’, Rooksbury Road, Andover