Anyone just watched Mr Bates v the Post Office? *GNHQ tweaked the title*

ninamoore

I remember when Radio 4 broke the story and followed up with in-depth research. Absolutely heartbreaking. The Government minister wouldn’t listen to the postmasters side of the story, as usual the Tory ministers thought they knew everything. Remember this in the next General Election.

The Post Office Minister at the time was Ed Davey, now Lib Dem leader.

He claims he was misled.
He means he believed the Post Office bosses rather than listening to the whole story.

I believe some incriminating tapes of top Post Office staff which include Paul Vennells have been discovered, although surely there is enough evidence in the public domain for heads to roll.

Paula Vennells got her CBE for turning the Post Office losses into profits, profits which will include the money stolen from the sub postmasters/mistresses Having watched all the episodes now plus the documentary, there could never be enough money to compensate for the anguish some of these people have suffered, certainly not the paltry amount they were individually awarded.

mokryna

Who owns or has shares in Fujitsu?

If you type Fujitsu into Companies House website there are 62 results come up so good luck working that one out!

Paula Vennells ….corrupt, perjurer.
Should be stripped of her CBE! And prosecuted for lying in court for claiming that there were no other incidences of post masters having problems with the Horizon system.

Chestnut

mokryna

Who owns or has shares in Fujitsu?

If you type Fujitsu into Companies House website there are 62 results come up so good luck working that one out!

Many of us may if we have a pension fund, a stocks and shares ISA etc ☹

622,100 signatures on the 38 Degrees petition and still rising rapidly.

The other petition
www.change.org/p/biztradegovuk-post-office-scandal-full-compensation-and-accountability
has 220,003 signatures

Because Adam Crozier was not mentioned in the ITV production (strange 🤔) he does not seem to be receiving any criticism for his part in this scandal.

Callistemon, having signed the petition, if it reaches 1,000,000 and hopefully it will, will that then trigger a parliamentary debate? I'd like to think there would be some positive outcome and I really hope these victims are not going to be forgotten as they have been, once the furore surrounding the excellent series dies down .

I was glancing through the results of other petitions which had triggered a Parliamentary debate and was disillusioned to see the results were often "Failed".

Do they represent us or not? 🤔

Do they represent us or not?

Um...I suspect not.

Just checked and it’s nearly 700,000 signatures so far

I agree that Paula Vennell's honour should be removed, but further she should be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice, along with so many others including Fujitsu managers.

The ordinary woman in the street would not get away with perverting the course of justice, so why should they, just because they are pa4t of a large organisation?

It is possible to remove Paula Vennells' CBE honour, but what irritates me is that she won't be stripped of her priesthood. As I understand it, once ordained a CofE deacon or priest, you can never lose that ordination. So for her, once a priest, always a priest, and considering her wrongdoings, that sits very poorly with me.

Catlover123

I don't understand why the people at Fujitsu were messing with the postmaster Horizon accounts? And why aren't they liable?

They were 'messing with the postmasters' accounts because there were so many bugs in their system. It was a rotten system, part of a huge IT contract which was supposed to be computerising the payment of benefits by the Post Office. The project failed but the part which dealt with the computerisation of branch accounts (Horizon) went ahead.

I have no doubt that part of the 'messing' was a desperate attempt to rectify the errors caused by the bugs in the system, but they just couldn't keep pace with the workload.

Also, see this article from Computer Weekly (the magazine mentioned in the dramatisation) in Feb 2021. The URL says it all

www.computerweekly.com/news/252496560/Fujitsu-bosses-knew-about-Post-Office-Horizon-IT-flaws-says-insider

The C of E is to re-introduce the “power for a bishop to depose a priest or deacon from holy orders following a finding of misconduct that does not involve a question of doctrine, ritual or ceremony”.

Guardian July 2023

Interesting Callistemon. Does that mean their religious title is removed, forever? There's no point just curtailing their role, and then welcoming them back at a later date.

I don't know, Joseanne.

She resigned “under pressure” just after the convictions were quashed in December 2020. I can’t see how she could ever return but probably can, if she can find a Bishop to license her.

The process of defrocking ( the word relates originally to the process of removing the priestly robes etc ) was abolished in the C of E over two decades ago, but was voted back in last July.
anglican.ink/2023/07/12/cofe-votes-to-reestablish-defrocking/

Thanks Cabbie21.
Once a clergy member is defrocked, they are expected to live their life as a layperson, with no formal religious responsibilities or privileges.
Good!

The journalist who has been following, and reporting on, the story for many years, Nick Wallis, has a blog about the Horizon Scandal, if anyone's interested. He's following the Public Inquiry now

www.postofficescandal.uk/

Thanks for the link Maizie. I'm just catching up with the series although I have followed it over the years.

www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/church-of-england-votes-to-bring-back-defrocking-as-punishment-for-clergy

Not sure it was passed or not at Synod.

Ignore me. Now seen Cabbie's post.

I have just finished watching it on ITV catch up on my iPad.
I cried during the last episode.
In this particular instance I would like to see an eye for an eye. I would like to see the CEO lose her home and all her savings and be given a criminal record. It won't happen but I’m sure millions like me do wish it.

945,000 signatures on the petition, nearly a million also 300. More on another petition. All in just a few days. Surely that can’t be ignored.