Mr Bates V's the Post Office

[Taffy Blue in Berkshire]

signed 1,026,271

[Undercoverinwurzelland]

Unfortunately can’t open this unless I join

Post Office suspected of more injustices over Horizon pilot scheme
Exclusive: software believed to have resulted in prosecutions even before full system rollout in 1999

The Post Office is suspected of wrongly prosecuting dozens more operators who took part in a pilot scheme of the faulty Horizon system, the Guardian has been told.

Amid growing anger over the treatment of postmasters whose lives have been ruined in the scandal, Whitehall sources have confirmed that a precursor scheme was rolled out in 1995 and 1996 to hundreds of branches in north-east England.

After taking part in the pilot, at least two branch managers were prosecuted despite protesting that there was a glitch in the system, a senior Labour MP has claimed.

The development comes after a national outcry over the treatment of post office operators between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Fujitsu software made it appear as though money was missing from their outlets.

[the other bob wilson]

That petition reaching one million signatures will have enormous symbolic value and an awful lot of people with a normal set of values would bow to the pressure. However, if she's anything like the way she was portrayed in last week's drama, she doesn't have a normal set of values - I'm not sure whether she was genuinely crooked or she just couldn't see what the Post Office was doing wrong.

[poc]

she did seem to be institutionalised

[light up the darkness]

she needs to be institutionalised

FTFY

[BLUETIT]

she did seem to be institutionalised

She should be incarcerated, the hypocritical cow

[PontBlue]

That petition reaching one million signatures will have enormous symbolic value and an awful lot of people with a normal set of values would bow to the pressure. However, if she's anything like the way she was portrayed in last week's drama, she doesn't have a normal set of values - I'm not sure whether she was genuinely crooked or she just couldn't see what the Post Office was doing wrong.

I think it was initially incompetence but when the post office decided to carry on prosecuting once they knew Fujitsu had remote access that becomes corruption in my eyes. And to think she was a Priest.

[ninian opinian]

Wait till people find out that Fujitsu sued the NHS for £700 million in 2014 after its IT contract was cancelled due to it being a "train wreck".

[Cyclops]

Watched the four episodes yesterday and was appalled by the story - of which I was aware.
The flashing Horizon router lights were particularly sinister.

One thing I don't understand is why the postmasters didn't run a manual audit for 24 hours and compare it to Horizon's figures.

All they needed was an opening balance (ie £0.00), a note of incomings and outgoings (ie stamps - £1.00) and a closing balance. That could then have been checked against the actual cash for accuracy.
Assuming everything balanced, that would have immediately proved there was a problem with the computer program.

[BLUETIT]

Watched the four episodes yesterday and was appalled by the story - of which I was aware.
The flashing Horizon router lights were particularly sinister.

One thing I don't understand is why the postmasters didn't run a manual audit for 24 hours and compare it to Horizon's figures.

All they needed was an opening balance (ie £0.00), a note of incomings and outgoings (ie stamps - £1.00) and a closing balance. That could then have been checked against the actual cash for accuracy.
Assuming everything balanced, that would have immediately proved there was a problem with the computer program.

This is what Alan Bates did and he said to the Post Office, “prove it”

He faced no charges, they just sacked him

[North Cardiff Blue]

Alan Bates has become an overnight success (after 20 years), yesterday he was on this morning, and Richard Branson gave him a holiday on his Island with first-class travel, and a top-end cruise on one of his ships, he was on all news stations and Newsnight. He was also being discussed in Westminster.

This story is going to run and run, and no doubt a lot more Fujitsu and post office Management are going to get dragged in.

Paula Vennells must be bricking it, up to 1,202,707, she would have got away with it if it wasn't for that pesky Alan Bates.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

That petition reaching one million signatures will have enormous symbolic value and an awful lot of people with a normal set of values would bow to the pressure. However, if she's anything like the way she was portrayed in last week's drama, she doesn't have a normal set of values - I'm not sure whether she was genuinely crooked or she just couldn't see what the Post Office was doing wrong.

The Daily Mail has been running with this story for at least 8 years, often headlining it. It's criminal that no-one on Govt. has even bothered to redress the wrongs - until a TV programme brings it to the national conscience..

[pipster]

They hope to clear it by August 24

Talk is - 2 weeks there will legislation on the floor of the commons. I personally think there will be 1 test case - with no evidence being offered by the prosecution and all subsequent cases then dropped. Govt cant be seen to be interfering with the law - but implicit intent is clear.

Then there will come the counter claims. Fujitsu got a massive contract handed to them as part of the NHS Npfit program under Gordon Brown. The largest IT project failure in Europe if not globally. 6 billion on the project that over ran to 9 billion - before being scrapped by Cameron / Clegg in 2010. Fujitsu were removed from the project along with Accenture.
That's why large scale public sector contracts never work - they are simply to wide , too much scope and not enough responsible people to care. As they know the Govt will usually either walk away - or bail them out.
I worked on part of that project - for another IT contractor - the difference - we delivered.

[BLUETIT]

Paula Vennells, earned £4.500,000 in the 8 years she was in office, £2,200,000, of it in performance enhanced bonuses !!!!!!

The Great Train Robbers got 30 year sentence’s, she should get the same, the hypocritical bitch

[North Cardiff Blue]

Paula Vennells, earned £4.500,000 in the 8 years she was in office, £2,200,000, of it in performance enhanced bonuses !!!!!!

The Great Train Robbers got 30 year sentence’s, she should get the same, the hypocritical bitch

Wow that is shocking and her cock ups are going to cost the post office hundreds of millions more in compensation, they should look to recover that money from her.

[BLUETIT]

Wow that is shocking and her cock ups are going to cost the post office hundreds of millions more in compensation, they should look to recover that money from her.

By the looks of her, she hasn’t had many “cock ups”

[North Cardiff Blue]

By the looks of her, she hasn’t had many “cock ups”

[ninian opinian]

Here we go again, men demonising women for their appearance. Don’t do it, there’s enough there to have a go at her without being misogynistic.

[BLUETIT]

Here we go again, men demonising women for their appearance. Don’t do it, there’s enough there to have a go at her without being misogynistic.

That’s a very high horse you’re sat on there !

You’ve reached that opinion through your eyes, so it’s you who are misogynistic (whatever it means)

I was thinking she’s more inclined to fancy the bush, therefore not requiring a meal of sausage

[Blue Dwr]

Isn't it strange that after 20 years, several of which this scandal has been in the public eye, after 20 years of the PO and successive governments actively fighting against all appeals, it is only now that politicians from all sides are suddenly scrambling to "put it right" and support the wrongly accused?

I wonder if I'm too cynical in thinking it's only because we're in an election year??

[ninian opinian]

That’s a very high horse you’re sat on there !

You’ve reached that opinion through your eyes, so it’s you who are misogynistic (whatever it means)

I was thinking she’s more inclined to fancy the bush, therefore not requiring a meal of sausage

In English please.

[ninian opinian]

Simon Blagden, Chairman of Fujitsu, donated £376,000 to the Conservatives

So they made him a member of UKHSA which advises the Department of Health on hundreds of Billions of spending, a nice VIP lane for Fujitsu.

They now get £10bn a year in Government contracts.

Mmmmmmmm

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Simon Blagden, Chairman of Fujitsu, donated £376,000 to the Conservatives

So they made him a member of UKHSA which advises the Department of Health on hundreds of Billions of spending, a nice VIP lane for Fujitsu.

They now get £10bn a year in Government contracts.

Mmmmmmmm

Twas ever the way.

Do people really give parties lots of cash just out of the goodness of their heart, particularly huge donations from individuals in charge of big companies and corporations? The whole thing is utterly corrupt and not just on the side of the Conservatives. If Labour get into power there'll be people wanting to make donations that will help them get on the ladder.

Money talks. Always will do.

[bobh]

She's "voluntarily" given up her CBE.
Obvious jump before push.
She avoided the ignominy of having it taken away, thinking she'll come out of this smelling of roses.

Now for the petition to reclaim her bonus.

[Alan Lung]

By the looks of her, she hasn’t had many “cock ups”

Sludge wouldn't hesitate.