I have found it quite fascinating this morning, listening to Paula Vennells giving evidence in the Post Office Enquiry. Ms Vennells was in overall charge when sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted, some sent to jail, others made to pay back thousands of pounds they had supposedly ‘stolen’, and at least one took their own life over issues later found to be due to ‘Horizon’, a faulty computer programme designed by Fujitsu.
For somebody working at such a senior level, the amount of information that Ms Vennells did not know about at the time is astonishing. She knows nothing, apparently. It’s amazing how much she doesn’t know. Nobody gave her any information. She didn’t know about bugs in the computer programme, about dozens of prosecutions of sub-postmasters going on while she was network director, blah, blah, blah, but all she does know is that she is so very, very sorry. There have even been a few tears shed this morning.
I wonder whether the truth will ever come out? Ms Vennells’ job was to protect the reputation of the Post Office and make assurances regarding the safety and trustworthiness of Fujitsu’s computer programme. The Post Office is owned by the Government, and so it makes me wonder just who it is that is pulling the strings here. Sub-postmasters were being prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, but of course, the three Prime Ministers we had during that time probably know nothing about any of it either.
Everybody is blameless, but at last, finally, sub-postmasters will be financially compensated for all the unnecessary distress they suffered at the hands of those who didn’t know anything .
robbiesinspiration said:
Hi Stevie, this is such a frightening and dreadful story.
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Stevie Turner said:
Indeed.
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Jennie said:
Just terrible!
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Phil Huston said:
I have too many comments, but I have a post in the can full of political nonsense talk. They’re idiots. Recently the President of the US testimony about why he had top secret documents in his garage was described as the ramblings of a kindly forgetful old man. Who, when questioned, couldn’t remember when his son died. Hellllllooooooooo…Anybody home?
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Stevie Turner said:
Kindly,lol? No mention on the news bulletin this morning of the Post Office scandal. I think Rishi wants it to disappear in a wave of electioneering.
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Phil Huston said:
Yes. The only bad news belongs to the opposition.
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John W. Howell said:
Government bureaucrats are the dumbest humans on the planet. We have so many here and they are in charge of vast sums of our money. I feel for the sub-postmasters. I hope they finally get some peace.
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Stevie Turner said:
Me too. These people should be jailed.
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John W. Howell said:
I agree.
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Liz Gauffreau said:
We’re from the government, and we’re here to help you. It never ends . . .
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Stevie Turner said:
What a joke!
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Liz Gauffreau said:
And we ain’t laughin’.
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Stevie Turner said:
Also strange how her evidence has been eclipsed on the news by the announcement of a general election. Was this planned I wonder?
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Liz Gauffreau said:
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
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Karen J Mossman said:
Nicely put. I agree and it’s a total disgrace. Always has been even.
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Stevie Turner said:
Very true. She’s absolutely squirming.
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Stevie Turner said:
If I were her I’d see my GP for a memory test. She seems not able to remember anything.
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Karen J Mossman said:
Haha! Quite right!
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johnrieber said:
I cannot wait to see this documentary series, which clearly shows just how horrendous our system of government can become when bureaucracy rears its ugly head…here in the US, when Trump was President he put a friend in the Postmaster General position, who immediately tried to “privatize” the government agency to make money for other friends…when under testimony, he admitted not knowing what the price of a stamp was!
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Stevie Turner said:
I wonder if there is anybody willing to actually tell the truth?
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johnrieber said:
It’s so sad where we have ended up…we have a former President who lies with EVERY SINGLE BREATH HE TAKES. All provable lies but it simply doesn’t matter…he is saying there will be massive roundups of people if he is re-elected, uses langue that Adolf Hitler used, and IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER. Ruined lives everywhere and the downfall of humanity
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Stevie Turner said:
Scary. Lies prevail unfortunately to preserve reputations.
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beetleypete said:
And she was/is a devout churchgoer and Christian, once suggested to be appointed Bishop of London. So much for Christian kindness. The thing about this enquiry is that it is pointless, as nobody involved can be prosecuted as a result of admitting anything. I hope those affected get sufficient financial recompense, though many have already turned down what they called ‘derisory’ offers. The one thing they are not getting is British Justice for the offenders who destroyed their lives.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Stevie Turner said:
Kudos to Alan Bates for persisting with efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice for over 20 years. The truth will never come out, because everybody is ‘innocent’. It’s sickening.
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