Post Office Horizon IT Scandal

[PercyPig]

Thought we'd have separate thread away from the discussion of the TV show as this is making real headway now, with all top of political nonsense figures using the opportunity to show solidarity with sub postmasters (Priti Patel spoke about it once) or to point fingers at Kier Starmer (Nigel Farage - "wHy wAsNt tHe HeAd Of PuBlIC PrOsEcUtiOnS sOrTiNg ThIS OuT BaCK tHeN").

There's a good explainer/recap here https://www.computerweekly.com/feat...scandal-explained-everything-you-need-to-know but comparing the witness statements to the TV show most of the awfulness appears to be unfortunately true so if you've seen the series you're all caught up

There's talk today of quashing convictions as fast as possible - https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ims-post-office-horizon-accounting-it-scandal and Fujitsu funding the compensation cost:

Stride also told LBC that Fujitsu, the company that provided the faulty Horizon IT system blamed for people being wrongly accused of stealing money, would “quite possibly” have to pay compensation. He said it would not just be the taxpayer compensating the victims.

We’ve got this public inquiry under way. One of the things it’s going to look at … is where does culpability lie? Who is responsible, who knew what when, who did things they shouldn’t have done and so on?
And to the extent that that culpability rests upon the shoulders of others than government, then I think you can expect ministers to come to the appropriate conclusions. And perhaps it won’t be just the taxpayer that is on the hook for those costs.

I believe though the head of Fujitsu is a tory donor so we'll see how that pans out... I'm sure I've read elsewhere that the head of Fujitstu threatened huge job losses if they did have to pay and I'm astounded the PO didn't throw Fujitsu under the bus as soon as they could.

I think the accused will get their compensation but I reckon that's just to sweep all of this under the carpet and there'll be no convictions made on the Post Office or Fujitsu (for perjury at least)

 

[jivafox]

I saw something in Popbitch that the drama conveniently wrote out another head honcho of the Post Office because he went on to become the head of ITV

 

[Rita]

I saw something in Popbitch that the drama conveniently wrote out another head honcho of the Post Office because he went on to become the head of ITV

Is Popbitch a RELIABLE SOURCE these days?

 

[Rita]

 

[jivafox]

Why would they MAKE THAT UP?

 

[Rita]

Why would they MAKE THAT UP?

I don’t know? It doesn’t ring true to me
At all. Having watched the drama and followed all the sub postmasters interviews broadcast on ITV afterwards and asking specific questions on Paula Vennels SURELY these people (especially Alan Bates) wouldn’t agree to appear on ITV if this were true. He is a man that has championed transparency from the start of this case.

 

[Rita]

I didn’t realise Paula Vennells got her CBE in 2019!? Was this some sort of extra attempt at kicking dirt in the face of these ex sub post masters? UGH.

 

[jivafox]

Why would they MAKE THAT UP?

Oh, because they didn’t

New BT chair left a trail of wrecked lives as Royal Mail boss | Letter

Letter: Mike Lucraft responds to an article about Adam Crozier, who was in charge of Royal Mail when subpostmasters were accused of theft because of a faulty IT system

www.theguardian.com

 

[Kratz]

Adam Crozier has constantly failed upwards. It’s astonishing. That list of jobs.

 

[ZenGiraffe]

I don’t know? It doesn’t ring true to me
At all. Having watched the drama and followed all the sub postmasters interviews broadcast on ITV afterwards and asking specific questions on Paula Vennels SURELY these people (especially Alan Bates) wouldn’t agree to appear on ITV if this were true. He is a man that has championed transparency from the start of this case.

Oh, because they didn’t

View attachment 23592

New BT chair left a trail of wrecked lives as Royal Mail boss | Letter

Letter: Mike Lucraft responds to an article about Adam Crozier, who was in charge of Royal Mail when subpostmasters were accused of theft because of a faulty IT system

www.theguardian.com

 

[Rita]

Oh, because they didn’t

View attachment 23592

New BT chair left a trail of wrecked lives as Royal Mail boss | Letter

Letter: Mike Lucraft responds to an article about Adam Crozier, who was in charge of Royal Mail when subpostmasters were accused of theft because of a faulty IT system

www.theguardian.com

OMG!!

She should still be STRIPPED of her honours to the post office, but WHY would they keep this man out of the story completely? In fact why is he erased from the story completely other than a couple of articles?

But let’s not make out that everything Pop Bitch posts is GOSPEL!

 

[Madíson]

I feel sorry for Private Eye getting overshadowed by ITV - they’ve been reporting on the scandal for over a decade.

The Eye have published a great special report for free:

https://www.private-eye.co.uk/pictures/special_reports/justice-lost-in-the-post.pdf

 

[Rita]

I am going to end up down a rabbit hole with this one. Did she oversee Horizon? Did they have 2 CEO’s? Is Vennells getting all the flack because she accepted a CBE for services to the post office?

 

[Rita]

[

I feel sorry for Private Eye getting overshadowed by ITV - they’ve been reporting on the scandal for over a decade.

The Eye have published a great special report for free:

https://www.private-eye.co.uk/pictures/special_reports/justice-lost-in-the-post.pdf

I would more congratulate ITV for bringing it in to the public consciousness. Private Eye may have been reporting it for 10 years but unfortunately it fell on DEAF EARS. At least now things finally seem to be moving forward.

 

[jivafox]

Looking at his JOBS it appears Mr Crozier is a well connected and probably very well protected man…

 

[Rita]

Looking at his JOBS it appears Mr Crozier is a well connected and probably very well protected man…

Wow! This whole thing just gets worse and worse.

 

[Rita]

I feel sorry for Private Eye getting overshadowed by ITV - they’ve been reporting on the scandal for over a decade.

The Eye have published a great special report for free:

https://www.private-eye.co.uk/pictures/special_reports/justice-lost-in-the-post.pdf

Crozier isn’t mentioned in this at all either. ASTONISHING.

 

[Rita]

Paula Vennells is handing back her CBE with immediate effect.

 

[Ellie]

I saw the Panorama special earlier last year and honestly thought that was making the appropriate impact. Clearly not.

 

[PercyPig]

Paula Vennells is handing back her CBE with immediate effect.

I mean OK but what is a CBE apart from a title? As I said above seems to be a lot of "give the people what they want" so all the outrage begins to quieten down and people forget about it all.

The real justice is convictions against the people who let this get into this sorry fucking mess.

 

[jivafox]

That’s a nice SYMBOL but we NEED BLOOD ACTION

 

[Rita]

I mean OK but what is a CBE apart from a title? As I said above seems to be a lot of "give the people what they want" so all the outrage begins to quieten down and people forget about it all.

The real justice is convictions against the people who let this get into this sorry fucking mess.

Apparently things should be in place within the next week to overturn convictions and gain justice BUT you are dead on. People must be held accountable but I am not confident on that front.

 

[ZenGiraffe]

At a minimum can we have Ed Davey's head please? The Lib Dems really must never be forgiven for the coalition.

 

[dmlaw]

Crozier isn’t mentioned in this at all either. ASTONISHING.

Crozier is mentioned a couple of times in the Private Eye article. I suspect he isn't in it more because he'd left by 2010 whereas the scandal was only starting to come out around then. Vennells was much more implicated in the cover up which is probably why she's getting so much more shit. I can also see that having two Chief Executives in the ITV drama might be confusing for viewers, particularly when there isn't all that much for the Crozier character to do.

 

[Rita]

Crozier is mentioned a couple of times in the Private Eye article. I suspect he isn't in it more because he'd left by 2010 whereas the scandal was only starting to come out around then. Vennells was much more implicated in the cover up which is probably why she's getting so much more shit. I can also see that having two Chief Executives in the ITV drama might be confusing for viewers, particularly when there isn't all that much for the Crozier character to do.

I read through the WHO TO BLAME: THE POST OFFICE HALL OF SHAME and didn’t see him mentioned.

 

[dmlaw]

I read through the WHO TO BLAME: THE POST OFFICE HALL OF SHAME and didn’t see him mentioned.

He's mentioned in the main body of the article once or twice. I suspect there may be some doubt about what he actually knew at the time, and therefore whether he was implicated in the persecution of the postmasters or just incompetent, which would likely mean that the lawyers would restrict what he could be accused of. There's no doubt about Vennells, who was transparently up to her neck in the coverup.

 

[Sheena]

Adam Crozier < Wendy Crozier

 

[Indie]

It's just sickening that this took a fucking ITV drama for the government to pull their forearms out of their gaping arseholes.

It's not like this has been a secret. It's been covered by major news outlets for years.

 

[Kratz]

Mrs nee Commander of the British Empire Paula Vennells

 

[Madíson]

Mrs nee Commander of the British Empire Paula Vennells

Reverend nee Reverend Commander

Ex-Post Office boss was shortlisted to be bishop - BBC News

Paula Vennells, an ordained Anglican priest, is facing questions over her role in the Horizon IT scandal.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[ZenGiraffe]

Wait, she's a GOD BOTHERER!?

 

[Madíson]

Wait, she's a GOD BOTHERER!?

Not a real one. Just a Church of England priest. I’m not sure God notices the CoE.

 

[lolly]

 

[VoR]

I know this isn't the takeaway, and I'm glad it's sparked the outcry it has, but as a piece of television am I the only one who thought the show really was not very good at all?

Obviously some great actors in there (and Will Mellor), but the quality of the dialogue was about on a par with a workplace training video.

 

[GinAg (39)]

 

[lolly]

 

[PercyPig]

“That program you claim to love” was crazy. Complete Tory line. Make it out Ian is being deceitful or something.

 

[Indie]

I think the most impressive thing about that is that it appears to be in the future. Peston doesn't end for another 30 minutes.

 

[jyxz]

Up to his eyes in it. No wonder he wants to sweep in these pardons

 

[Kratz]

Unless there's a nexus between Fujitsu and Infosys in respect of Horizon, that's likely irrelevant. Fujitsu will have numerous partners. Gillian Keegan's husband is another matter and his role as CEO must be scrutinised but, again, it seems he was CEO until 2015 and Keegan didn't become an MP until 2017. I'm saying there's no smoking gun there, and i'm not here to defend the government (current or previous), but folks should try and keep to the facts to ensure the right people are held to account as quickly as possible now. There's been enough obfuscation.