to enjoy hearing Paula Vennels being taken apart?

[Sausagenbacon]

Is anyone else listening - radio 5 at the moment. Paula Vennels being slowly picked apart by an expert?

Honestly a lot of church leaders just can't see themselves as ever doing anything wrong, regardless of what they've done, they've had their arse kissed by people for so long. They live on another planet.

Just watched this and dear me - PV's only defence is I don't recollect, I worded it badly,I didn't understand and then turn on the waterworks.

I've been shouting at the screen - you used those words. FFS this is the standard of someone placed in such a high position, in charge of public money, being paid a large amount of public money and this is the best you can do?

The last question by Sir Peter Wynne - the minute he used the phrase I put it to you I knew there was a crippler coming and then to follow it with Why? it was game over.

Another one very much in awe of the KC!

She really was spectacularly awful.

This is a terrible, terrible travesty with completely innocent people losing their livelihoods, ending up in prison, committing suicide. Their torment and anguish.

And then we are witness to this woman who actually led the organisation. It's just staggering to behold.

My understanding is that the "missing money" probably never existed. The system was full of bugs and errors that would creat ghost money that was in the record but not in the till. For example, it might duplicate a record of money coming over the counter. The real money came in once, but the record showed there "should" be twice that.

Postmasters had their lives utterly destroyed, some killed themselves. Horrific.
yet she seems unmoved, unaffected.

I’ve watched most of hers and Angela’s
what strikes me the most is just how incompetent they are. Like ministers how do they go from one thing to another. E.g post office to ITV boss.

i also wonder how I get one of these incredibly high paid jobs, I’m sure I could do as good if not better Jo.

The KC seems to do a lot of public enquiry work. It’s easy to see why.

I can't find today's proceedings on iplayer. Is there anywhere else to watch it?

I understood from the documentary that there was a separate "live" room in the basement, where remote access to the post masters' terminals was possible without their knowledge. So what were the people accessing remotely actually doing?
Hence Paula Vennels efforts to deny that remote access existed.

Not only that - I think she accepted substantial bonuses based on the "fraud" she was revealing, and the "thieves" she was foiling.

If so it was blood money - if she financially benefitted from other (innocent) people's misery. She should be ashamed, but all of her tears are for herself.

Edit for auto carrot

I gathered, from the R4 documentary a couple of years ago I think?, that they were moving these ghost transactions around, at night when the subpostmasters weren't in, so there wouldn't be too many eye catching weird things happening in one post office or one area.

Me too! I could piss it.

There seems to be a collection of people (all of varying incompetence and mendacity) who circulate round CEO positions in public service, charities, think tanks, failing dismally but simply being offered yet another top job.
Dido Harding, Michelle Mone, Ruth Hunt are three that come to mind.
They cause terrible harm and then end up in the House of Lords.

All I could think was here we go. Sniffling and crying because she's been caught out and being held accountable. This isn't sorrow, it's guilt.

@TorroFerney I'm catching up on this thread but was listening when V. was crying .
The barrister asked her not to try and talk through her tears, but to wait until she had composed herself before responding.

It's no surprise that she cried at very difficult questions that she couldn't answer. She didn't cry out of remorse, she's crying at being found out.

This inquiry is a total waste of time, has been going on for ages, I would rather see criminal trials. Also why are Fujitsu not being questioned (I may have missed it) they are the ones who lied about secretly accessing postmaster system, its their system they are ultimately accountable financially and morally (but still being handed lucrative government contracts).

It seems the You Tube recording is available to watch again. I missed the beginning so I can rewatch that.

@heydiddlysquat I’m watching on Youtube

I don't think that's quite right. I heard her use the "Prince Andrew" defence at least twice. Second time right at the end

"I was too trusting of other people".

Terrible, self serving thing to say.

Me too - he’s amazing and terrifying in equal measure!

Why are you sorry?

Rather like Prince Andrew and his 'I was too honourable' remark in reference to why he visited Epstein and stayed in his house after Epstein had bern convicted and served time for sexual offences.