To draw your attention to Mr Bates vs The Post Office

[5foot5]

There is already a thread about this on the Telly Addicts forum here

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4970440-mr-bates-vs-the-post-office-mon-to-thur-itv-9pm-tv-pace-no-spoilers

However this seems like such an important subject that I thought I would draw attention to it on AIBU.

The first episode aired tonight but the whole series is available on itvx.

Most of you will no doubt have heard about the Horizon scandal, but whether you have or you haven't this program is compelling. It will probably make you furious but it deserves as wide an audience as possible.,

It would be useful to identify which investigators were telling postmasters that no-one else was having these problems and to ask them why. They must have known from their own personal experience that that was simply untrue, so presumably they were following orders. The question therefore is - whose orders?

The inquiry is questioning a number of investigators and that question has been asked - answers so far are vague.

As with a lot of questions. A significant proportion of Post Office witnesses are suffering from selective loss of memory.

Interesting. There has to be a record of which investigators were assigned to which cases, so it really shouldn't be difficult to find out. Unless of course someone powerful doesn't want it found.

Many of the victims have named their investigators (no doubt the names are engraved in their minds forever).

Documents have also been disclosed which include interview transcripts - which they are now trying to downplay or twist - e.g. claiming 'this isn't happening to anyone else' meant the particular error wasn't happening on any of the other counters in that one post office, not across the whole network. Where a disabled woman was stuck in a parcels lift, saying it was a normal sized lift ... rewriting history.

Letter in Private Eye today from Alan Bates thanking them for covering this story for many years past. Great cover, too.

Thank you. Keep meaning to subscribe to Private Eye and forgetting to do so. Done.

The more subscribers the better, welcome :) It is the best journalism constantly and has amazing freelancers. It is satirical which is what the majority seem to think is all it does.

The 'Rotten Boroughs' section makes for infuriating reading and again I am surprised the MSM does not pick up some of the shenanigan's going on at local level. I remember an interview with Hislop where he stated that they get dozens of tip offs every week about local corruption but simply don't have the resources to investigate all of the leads. We like to think we live in a transparent 'clean' country but we are far from that.

Wasn’t it Theresa May who gave Vennells the CBE? Why?

Dont think for one minute the government really gave a shit about the post office.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68079300

The BBC has got hold of* the un*redacted minutes of a 2014 meeting of Project Sparrow, in which Paula Vennells et al discuss how to sack Second Sight to prevent it investigating further, and to make only "token payments" to the SPM applying to the mediation scheme.

They kept some of this secret from Parliament.

Watching it on the news now. The more that is found the lower the reputation of the Post Office and the government ministers who were involved is sinking. Absolutely disgusting.

We're late to this and have only just seen the first episode. Me and DH are speechless. I said that heads should roll and criminal charges be brought. DH thinks that every one who knew this was happening and knowingly put those poor people through hell should be shot. How they can live with themselves I have no idea.

We also like to think we have democracy when first past the post is fairly rigged. Along with electoral boundary changes.... it's all very depressing.

Oh bloody hell.

Just seen this.

Would you feel safe with a DWP ‘police force’?
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/would-you-feel-safe-with-a-dwp-‘police-force’?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Benefits%20and%20Work&utm_content=V2%20January%202024%20newsletter

The DWP, feeling left out, would like to copy the Post Office and be "victim", investigator and prosecutor all rolled in one. To save resources.

Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System (2022), p15
New powers

1. To enable us to investigate and disrupt serious and organised fraud activity more decisively and quickly, we plan to create new powers so our officers will be able to undertake arrests and apply to search and seize evidence in criminal investigations, when parliamentary time allows. This will enable them to act in a timely fashion, without always having to rely on police resources.
2. Investigators would be required to make the same decisions and comply with the requirements as the police currently do, ensuring that action taken is in accordance with the law.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6285e76dd3bf7f1f41a08e1a/fighting-fraud-in-the-welfare-system.pdf

Sorry, I know that's off-topic for a thread about the life-threatening gross injustices by the Post Office... But on the other hand, it's not.

And the Post Office at least started as a trusted brand. The DWP – re disability benefits – has form longer than your arm for dishonesty, malice and breaking the law.

I'm amazed that this bunch haven't started a workhouse building programme. Can't be long. Maybe when the private prisons programme is completed? Contracts for all.. We'll call it Social Care.

Well John Major wanted to go back to Victorian Values.

Currently listening to Nick Wallis's excellent podcast, "The Great Post Office Trial" (Radio4), which has been recommended here several times.

In the light of the news the DWP, too, would like police-type powers, this bit leapt out at me:

“Post Office [...] was avoiding the need to go through the Crown Prosecution Service (the CPS). It is pretty obvious that the approach was designed around asset recovery, rather than seeking the truth or for that matter finding any process flaws which needed to be corrected. That was secondary or of no consequence. What it was all about was recovering money.”
(Episode 5, “Follow the Money”, at approx 4:00 minute mark)

Just felt the need to get this on record here. I have a horrible feeling I've just seen the future.

Private Eye are doing great reports every week on this and also the Teeside 'Freeport' scandal as it's unfolding but so far on that Gove has commissioned a report that finds no blame. The sums they've made from our taxes is eye watering.

I also recommend his book.

The lid's really coming off now.

Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68146054
the Post Office had spent millions of pounds on three separate reviews into remote access - Project Zebra, the Swift review and the 2016 Deloitte investigation - while publicly claiming it was impossible.
But all three were buried by the Post Office.
[...]
[The Swift review] said the auditors had learned that authorised Fujitsu staff with the right database access privileges could use fake digital signatures or keys to delete, create or amend data on customer purchases that had been electronically signed by sub-postmasters. Fujitsu staff could then "re-sign it with a fake key".
Deloitte said Fujitsu staff had also been able to correct errors using an emergency process known as a "balancing transaction", which can "create transactions directly in branch ledgers".
It noted the process "does not require positive acceptance or approval by the sub-postmaster".
Yet the findings of Project Zebra were never disclosed to investigating accountants Second Sight who, since 2012, had been publicly tasked by the Post Office with looking in to sub-postmasters' claims.
The Post Office continued to claim for a further five years that it was impossible for remote tinkering by Fujitsu to alter cash balances in Post Office branch accounts.

Shit hitting fan time! Surely it’s a criminal behaviour?

It us the future Perking and, becoming clear, also our past and present. Tip of the bloody iceberg.