So sad watching this. My lovely local Post Office closed down because of it. It was owned by a lovely family and their son was accused of theft as he was the postmaster. He went to prison for 18 months. His mum told customers it was the new Horizon system but rumours spread that he was a thief. Nobody would use their little corner shop anymore and people were racist against them as they were an Asian family. He was the nicest, most efficient postmaster and was super fast with serving you. So very sad they lost their home and business.
I'm a bit confused as I thought horizon admitted there were problems and t was the post office who decided to ignore the facts presented to them? (sorry if I have got the wrong end of the stick)
Fujitsu certainly has a lot of serious questions to answer, but seems to have got off very lightly so far.
Connections - Fujitsu a long standing partner with Infosy. Infosy company owned by Sunak’s in-laws.
What a relief it must be to those poor souls who were caught up in this! I hope they get absolute and full compensation for all the harm they have suffered.
I have been watching and reading this situation for years, and in particular when it was debated when questions were raised in parliament. It was always very poorly attended with little interest shown. Suddenly -my goodness - the government can’t do enough!! You would almost believe that the light being shone on a murky injustice of which the government was always fully aware has forced them into action. That and of course it is election year.
HelterSkelter1
Hats off to ITV for making such a brilliant docu/drama which has grabbed the public's attention.
This whole scandal won't go away now. Thank goodness.
Absolutely.
It is all set to run and run.
Hats off to ITV for making such a brilliant docu/drama which has grabbed the public's attention.
This whole scandal won't go away now. Thank goodness.
It's quite obvious that the Lib Dems and Tories in government did little until public opinion was aroused by the ITV drama. Aside from a few MPs pressing on behalf of their constituent postmasters/mistresses Ministers probably hoped it would go away as some victims would die, others would give up in the face of humiliating trials and the Post Office legal machine which appears to have fought every appeal. A belated Inquiry won't report until 2025. The money they are owed should be both redress (to reinstate them as they were) and compensation for jail time, fines, legal costs, restitution orders, etc., and for loss of mental health, family break up, loss of house, etc. And those responsible should be prosecuted for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and fraud. The PO must not be allowed to prosecute in future and ought to be taken back into the public sector so it can be properly supervised.
The software engineer who blew the whistle on the fact that the system allowed outsiders to log in, and not just the postmasters has asked for immunity from prosecution.
Sorry posted on wrong thread - trying to multitask
She might want to hand it back but until the King agrees she still has it
eazybee
The ITV series, although dramatized, was based on verifiable evidence, court cases, enquiries, financial records and minutes from meetings. The Crown is dramatization of relationships and speculation, in the greater part, about what went on behind closed doors. It was cheap to compare the two.
The only part I didn't like was when she was seen praying in her clerical garb; no-one should speculate about private prayer.
The ITV series, although dramatized, was based on verifiable evidence, court cases, enquiries, financial records and minutes from meetings
Yes, it was.
Although I don't think Bob Rutherford was the top investigator in real life, others are the actual people who suffered.
I think most of us, apart from the Bishop, realise the difference between that dramatisation and The Crown (I've only watched one or two episodes which left me laughing in derision).
icanhandthemback
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 said, icanhandthenback.
I've been following it for years, too and, if anything, the facts are more harrowing to read than the dramatisation was to watch...
It's easy enough to find lots of good information on line.
The ITV series, although dramatized, was based on verifiable evidence, court cases, enquiries, financial records and minutes from meetings. The Crown is dramatization of relationships and speculation, in the greater part, about what went on behind closed doors. It was cheap to compare the two.
The only part I didn't like was when she was seen praying in her clerical garb; no-one should speculate about private prayer.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Maybe Mr Bates will accept his OBE now?
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’.
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?
merlotgran
It’s breaking news that Paula Vennells is going to voluntarily hand back her CBE.
That's the least she should do!
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
X post 🙂
Paula Vennells is handing back her CBE with immediate effect.
It’s breaking news that Paula Vennells is going to voluntarily hand back her CBE.
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