Panorama - post office scandal (3 Viewers)

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Wife binge watched this last night. I was hooked after 10 minutes.

The main part missed by most is those who should be keeping an eye on things like this are also the owners. So the owners want it kept quiet. The British government and Post Office have been able to keep it quiet for years by making people sign disclaimers.

But now with the outcry and courts being involved they will have to be, and will be, impartial. This is a lot bigger than most could imagine. There's going to be some big names involved. Two different governments in place. Is that why neither of them are campaigning for justice?

Fraud is a serious crime. Can come with a long sentence. And worse has happened. If people from the Post Office and governments don't get long prison sentences it will show how corrupt the system is. How can someone get time for an alleged theft without proof when the people making up the evidence get less?

Reminds me of something Andy Burnham said in relation to the Hillsborough inquiry that justice in this country is decided not by guilt but power and wealth.

 

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[chiefdave]

Reminds me of something Andy Burnham said in relation to the Hillsborough inquiry that justice in this country is decided not by guilt but power and wealth.

Spot on. How many people in positions of power have been recovered any significant punishment for things like Hillsborough, Grenfell, Post Office, sure there's many more examples.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Spot on. How many people in positions of power have been recovered any significant punishment for things like Hillsborough, Grenfell, Post Office, sure there's many more examples.

In fact all Grenfell has seemingly led to is people being ruined by being charged full whack to replace cladding which someone else put there.

 

[Grendel]

What I didn’t know was how the post office lied to protect the software.

One case a judge allowed an independent IT advisor to appear as a defence witness. The post office immediately settled out of court and forced her to sign an NDA

At call centres there were specific briefings to ensure if anyone reported issues with tbe system to say no other cases had been reported

 

[Grendel]

Reminds me of something Andy Burnham said in relation to the Hillsborough inquiry that justice in this country is decided not by guilt but power and wealth.

Wasnt Burnham Secretary of State for culture media and sport - campaigned to close 2,500 post offices - when the scandal was at its height?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Wasnt Burnham Secretary of State for culture media and sport - campaigned to close 2,500 post offices - when the scandal was at its height?

I don’t know, but it’s hard to disagree with the substance of what he said. Just look at the bungled excuse of a COVID inquiry we’re undertaking in this country for another example.

 

[Grendel]

I don’t know, but it’s hard to disagree with the substance of what he said. Just look at the bungled excuse of a COVID inquiry we’re undertaking in this country for another example.

Well it becomes harder when he was campaigning for post office closures and sat in a cabinet which presided over the mess in the first place

Burnham actually campaigned in his constituency to retain a post office while at the same time voting to close 2,500 across the country

 

[tisza]

What I didn’t know was how the post office lied to protect the software.

One case a judge allowed an independent IT advisor to appear as a defence witness. The post office immediately settled out of court and forced her to sign an NDA

At call centres there were specific briefings to ensure if anyone reported issues with tbe system to say no other cases had been reported

Seems to a quite a few instances still where the Post Office, the software companies & others are still running to court to allow them to withhold information from the public inquiry & those fighting legal claims.

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

Can't compensate the poor souls that took their own life over it

Or who have died since for other reasons.

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

I'm totally astonished that more fingers haven't been pointed in Fujitsu's direction. There are people in that organisation who are more personally culpable than Vennells. Hopefully the truth will out.

 

[JAM See]

I'm totally astonished that more fingers haven't been pointed in Fujitsu's direction. There are people in that organisation who are more personally culpable than Vennells. Hopefully the truth will out.

I thought about that too.

However, I have been the victim (and cause), of lots of SQL/Excel cock ups in the past.

None were the fault of Microsoft, just the users of the application.

I'm not saying that the software provider is blameless, but I hope that the producers of the drama have done their due diligence.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

What I didn’t know was how the post office lied to protect the software.

One case a judge allowed an independent IT advisor to appear as a defence witness. The post office immediately settled out of court and forced her to sign an NDA

At call centres there were specific briefings to ensure if anyone reported issues with tbe system to say no other cases had been reported

Absolute wankers

 

[Grendel]

Absolute wankers

Regarding Vennels removing her medal really is pointless - I’m sure Mr Hitchens isn’t your cup of tea but his stance on this I doubt you could argue against

HITCHENS: Make the Post Office boss keep her CBE...

Justice will never be done to the victims of the Post Office computer scandal. What they have lost is irrecoverable, in some cases more than others.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Regarding Vennels removing her medal really is pointless - I’m sure Mr Hitchens isn’t your cup of tea but his stance on this I doubt you could argue against

HITCHENS: Make the Post Office boss keep her CBE...

Justice will never be done to the victims of the Post Office computer scandal. What they have lost is irrecoverable, in some cases more than others.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Yep but they’d be an acknowledgment of the hurt and damage caused

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Well it becomes harder when he was campaigning for post office closures and sat in a cabinet which presided over the mess in the first place

Burnham actually campaigned in his constituency to retain a post office while at the same time voting to close 2,500 across the country

Focusing on who said it rather than what was said G

 

[Mild-Mannered Janitor]

Mistakes can be made but the cover up and harm caused from deliberate senior figures across multiple organisations inc government covering up and hiding/lying about the mistakes is unforgivable and is illegal and responsible individuals (as listed under code of conduct) can be prosecuted but I doubt they ever will be sadly.

Also, whilst a lot of information was in the public domain, most people need these types of documentaries to deliver the overall summary and believe it to be unbiased compared to other sources.

 

[wingy]

Going to be interesting in the future with AI and all that!

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

The great post office scandal is a brilliant read lots of tears of frustration but brilliant

I always try and open myself up to the injustices under our noses now that we’re blind too

 

[wingy]

The great post office scandal is a brilliant read lots of tears of frustration but brilliant

I always try and open myself up to the injustices under our noses now that we’re blind too

Who's come off best polically from this?

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Who's come off best polically from this?

Parliament comes off badly
Governments labour joint Tory lib
Tory all didn’t do governance properly
Some ministers lied the Lib Dem one gets a hard time
The Tory lord is a hero but didn’t half get the run around
Hero’s are Alan bates, computer weekly, Nick Wallis, many sub postmasters, some communities, some judges and some lawyers
There has to be criminal action against post office employees and senior leaders. Also Fujitsu staff
The one area that hasn’t received enough press or challenge is the law profession advising clients to plead guilty when they are not guilty.
have personal experience of this
Still people are delaying stuff

A lot I don’t understand and I’ve worked in environments with poor it and demanding money.

How could it happen?

And how can we make sure it doesn’t happen again!

 

[wingy]

O-oh?

 

[Sbarcher]

Another issue just being reported about the PO. If a PO was robbed (and some were armed robberies) the postmaster was held responsible even if they were injured during the incident. They went to a PO hearing and most required to repay all or a portion of the stolen amount.
Disgraceful.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Another issue just being reported about the PO. If a PO was robbed (and some were armed robberies) the postmaster was held responsible even if they were injured during the incident. They went to a PO hearing and most required to repay all or a portion of the stolen amount.
Disgraceful.

Absolute wanker of an organisation

 

[greys4life]

I've been watching the live inquiry stream - the PO should be fined for the amnesia it seems to have caused to its investigators/management etc because none of them seem to remember saliant point, dates or names.

Its like they've been briefed on what to say and what not to remember, 'I dont remember' is the most used statement in every interview.

 

[Deleted member 9744]

I've been watching the live inquiry stream - the PO should be fined for the amnesia it seems to have caused to its investigators/management etc because none of them seem to remember saliant point, dates or names.

Its like they've been briefed on what to say and what not to remember, 'I dont remember' is the most used statement in every interview.

Sounds like Sunak at the covid inquiry. This really isn't good enough.

 

[Grendel]

At least this smug twat will hopefully meet his destiny soon

Ed Davey facing general election challenge from former Post Office worker

Yvonne Tracey, who spent three decades at the Post Office, says Sir Ed, who served as postal affairs minister from 2010 to 2012, can’t be allowed to stand again “unchallenged”

www.independent.co.uk

 

[SkyblueDad]

A document has been found undeleted , this goes right up to government ministers, NOT Labour, I’m just waiting impatiently for Starmer at pm questions to put the cheesy grinning pm to the sword on this remember he was chancellor in 2019 up to his neck in it.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

A document has been found undeleted , this goes right up to government ministers, NOT Labour, I’m just waiting impatiently for Starmer at pm questions to put the cheesy grinning pm to the sword on this remember he was chancellor in 2019 up to his neck in it.

Absolute wankers too
Life has no meaning when money and power get in the way

 

[wingy]

Breaks back into the news today!

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Breaks back into the news today!

is it badenoch?

 

[greys4life]

Inquiry has resumed today (Alan Bates giving evidence) - PO still not disclosing documents in a reasonable time and dumping thousands of papers late.

 

[clint van damme]

Inquiry has resumed today (Alan Bates giving evidence) - PO still not disclosing documents in a reasonable time and dumping thousands of papers late.

There's a lot of people going to come out of this looking even worse than they have already.
Abd it appears they've still got absolutely no contrition in them over what happened so I hope it goes as badly as it can for them with severe repercussions

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

There's a lot of people going to come out of this looking even worse than they have already.
Abd it appears they've still got absolutely no contrition in them over what happened so I hope it goes as badly as it can for them with severe repercussions

Not all heroes wear capes
Should be offered a knighthood alan bates and I’d hope he publicly rejected it