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

When I was in a post office a few weeks ago I was told the Post Office is now 4 completely different companies which is why we couldn’t change old stamps at a post office for the new ones and had to send off for them somewhere else.
I had wondered.

In my opinion it seems the more a State does, the less well it does it. British Leyland anyone? B.T. if you didn’t mind the waiting list for a telephone line - a party one to share if you were fortunate whilst ‘waiting’ for your own number?
🤣
Essentially the state should do less but try to do it better.
What we need are politicians honest enough to explain that to the media and to us, the voters.

The Horizon system started to cause problems in 1999 - 25 years ago. There should be an investigation into Fujitsu, who created the faulty software, and into the various senior executives in the Post Office who knew there were problems but instructed their staff answering phones and auditors to tell postmasters who complained that "they were the only one experiencing these problems" when they knew that was untrue.

These people were dishonest and culpable for the suffering of so many innocent postmasters.. They even lied to successive government ministers who raised concerns. These senior executives, Paula Vennels and others, should be prosecuted.

Urmstongran

In my opinion it seems the more a State does, the less well it does it. British Leyland anyone? B.T. if you didn’t mind the waiting list for a telephone line - a party one to share if you were fortunate whilst ‘waiting’ for your own number?
🤣
Essentially the state should do less but try to do it better.
What we need are politicians honest enough to explain that to the media and to us, the voters.

The privatised water companies are doing so well, aren't they, Ug. Not to mention the privatised rail companies...

fancythat

*This shocking injustice has actually united the people of the U.K.*

People around where I live, are certainly talking about it.

I certainly haven't heard anybody speak any differently from the way we feel.

Not read through the thread as I am just on with episode 4 on catch up.

In my opinion it seems the more a State does, the less well it does it.

Did this government set out to do more Urmstongran. They keep telling us - over 14 years - that they are the government of the smaller state. That's going well then

These people were dishonest and culpable for the suffering of so many innocent postmasters.. They even lied to successive government ministers who raised concerns. These senior executives, Paula Vennels and others, should be prosecuted.

Agree Varian

I went to sleep last night thinking about all these families and woke up this morning thinking about them.

A powerful drama, no matter how much compensation these people will eventually receive, they cannot get back all those years of worry, stress, humiliation, finger pointing , truly shocking! You cannot get it out of your head once you have watched the drama.

Like OP have said, how can you go to bed at night go to sleep knowing what you have done to these innocent families. It is not normal is it. You must have to be so Callous so evil, yes I will use the word Evil.

When I think of Rev Paula Vennells receiving a CBE for turning the Post Office losses into a profit and knowing how she managed to do that, I am reminded of Jesus going into the temple and turning over the money tables.
The Post Office managers were a den of thieves.

We were both crying at the end last night.
No, nothing will ever turn back time.
And the process of giving compensation and overturning convictions should be given priority. Instead of making excuses for the length of time it will take.

Good point Callistemon.

Callistemon21

When I think of Rev Paula Vennells receiving a CBE for turning the Post Office losses into a profit and knowing how she managed to do that, I am reminded of Jesus going into the temple and turning over the money tables.
The Post Office managers were a den of thieves.

And she was an ordained priest!! 😡😡

The spokesman for the Bishop of St.Albans has said Paula Vennells should not be judged on a TV drama that is 'a bit like The Crown'; she should not be judged until the facts are known in the wake of an ongoing public enquiry. The Bishop has been in touch with Vennels and the church is 'offering her support.'
They would do better to offer their support to those who have lost their livelihood, their money and their good name, as a result of Vennels' dereliction of duty.

It’s breaking news that Paula Vennells is going to voluntarily hand back her CBE.

Paula Vennells is handing back her CBE with immediate effect.

X post 🙂

eazybee

The spokesman for the Bishop of St.Albans has said Paula Vennells should not be judged on a TV drama that is 'a bit like The Crown'; she should not be judged until the facts are known in the wake of an ongoing public enquiry. The Bishop has been in touch with Vennels and the church is 'offering her support.'
They would do better to offer their support to those who have lost their livelihood, their money and their good name, as a result of Vennels' dereliction of duty.

😲

I agree 100% eazybee

merlotgran

It’s breaking news that Paula Vennells is going to voluntarily hand back her CBE.

That's the least she should do!

I don't disagree that he should support her too - she needs to process the consequences of her actions.

Is the Bishop of St Albans saying he thinks much of what has happened to the postmasters and postmistresses is a work of fiction?

Well better late than never Ms. Vennells. That said, I agree with one of the Asian postmasters who said ‘we should take it off her before she hands it back’.

Maybe Mr Bates will accept his OBE now?

The Bishop said:

The bishop of St Albans - whose father was once a sub-postmaster - has spoken out in sympathy with the "suffering and pain" that victims of the Horizon IT scandal have endured.
Reverend Alan Smith described the "anger in all of us" felt in regard to the Post Office injustice, which has recently been highlighted in ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

“I hope and pray that the public inquiry will explain fully the sequence of events, provide redress for the victims and hold to account the responsible people and organisations.”

He said the ITV series was fictionalised; the producers stated that it was based on fact, but certain characters and events may have been changed slightly. That is presumably to protect the privacy of those who might not want to be portrayed and is normal in drama-documentaries.

We're not daft, we do realise that!

We're not daft, we do realise that!
I'm not so sure, Callistemon. How often have we seen posts on here saying that because of that statement on a dramatisation people do't believe any of it? It is not just to protect the innocent, but also because real life happens slowly and drama is very time limited, so sometimes events have to be conflated or compressed.

I'm pleased that PV no longer has her CBE, but would have preferred her to have lost it than have been allowed to give it back.

I have been following this for years and if you wonder about how true the drama was, do some research. You'll find out how unjust the whole thing was and how Paula Vennells acted so dishonourably that the criticism is well deserved.

Well as Wolfie Smith was prone to say "power to the people" .

Would she have handed the CBE back without the groundswell of public opinion? would the whole debacle have been propelled into the public domain in the way it has, without the excellent tv programme? The fact of the matter is that it has been going on for years, even with the excellent Alan Bates dogged campaigning, and yes it's his time now to accept that honour, an honour for his tireless quest and seeking to redress the awful injustices for his fellow Post Office workers. Surely these are what such honours should be for in the first place,not accolades for corrupt public servants who have vastly inflated salaries sometimes just for failing upwards. I hope this is just the beginning of it, there are amongst the higher echelons of Post Office Staff and Fujitsu employees who fraudulently, perjured themselves, withheld information and behaved in the most dishonest way to besmirch and bankrupt honest people. I do hope they will be prosecuted, some need custodial sentences and maybe Paula Vennells and others like her could lose their gold plated pensions and some of their other ill gotten gains. It has been mooted that Fujitsu should be stumping up some of the compensatory monies, not the tax payer. As far back as 2011 Ernst and Young drew attention to flaws in the Horizon system but they have bafflingly gone on to win all manner of other government contracts, how so? who were those responsible for awarding those. So much more needs to come out, far too much covert collusion in public life, it's sickening.