Paula Vennells has completed her testimony to the Post Office Inquiry. In 2013, when presented with evidence that the Horizon IT system had at least three bugs in it, her priority was to “manage the media”. Her reaction to the One Show’s 2014 feature on the scandal was “I was more bored than outraged.”
This contempt for ordinary members of public and the obfuscation and delay in righting wrongs has become part of the British way of doing business: Hillsborough, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Post Office, Windrush, sanctioning of Disability claimants, infected blood, Grenfall, Carers Allowance. The list goes on. All kicked down the road for decades. Proper compensation avoided until many have suffered for far too long or died.
At least those convicted using Horizon IT evidence have finally had their convictions quashed. Finally. In 2024. It all started in 1999.
It makes one feel proud of our country, our establishment, our leaders. Just at the moment that the politicians want my vote, I feel sick to the stomach.
I wonder how many manifestos are going to include a “Hillsborough Law” which demands a duty of candour from MPs. And, if so, how on earth it could be implemented on a bunch of professional word-twisters.
I have had this feeling for many years that a large part of the problem is the legal process required to get to this point. It seems to be the bit that everyone acknowledges is incredibly expensive and incredibly slow. Those two things give an enormous advantage to the very rich and the very guilty.
Establishing an Inquiry sounds decisive and serious but it is an enormously cumbersome and long process. People on both sides die in the meantime and the guilty parties have lots of time to stir in a million different colours to the palette to make the picture look different in hindsight.
The PO scandal achieves the day in court that Jo Hamilton and Alan Bates need – but it shouldn’t be so expensive and take so damn long to get justice.
Following the courts’ decisions, aren’t these enough to trigger the Government to fully compensate and apologise?
Absolutely.
Inquiries take years and cost taxpayers a lot. The Infected Blood Inquiry breached the £100 million whole life cost in March 2022. They also introduce delay for the victims. “We will wait until the Inquiry concludes” is an excuse to sit on hands. In the Post Office case, victims had already established in the courts years ago that the Horizon system was faulty. Even when a wrong is admitted, rules on compensation tend to be set by the perpetrators, such as in Windrush, leading to further injustices and delays.
What is the saying? Hell has a special place …
I read in the Times earlier this week that the infected blood and PO Horizon inquiries shared the same premises and facilities “to cut costs”
This story was in Private Eye for at least 15 years before something was done about it
An absolute scandal and they deserve prison
Doesn’t reflect well on any of the political parties either as they were all culpable and did nothing
This is a good point. Culpable though Vennells appears to be the responsibility spreads far wider and it would be a disgrace if she is made so seem solely responsible.
For her part, in answer to a question from Sam Stein, representing victims, she pointed the finger at five other executives: the senior IT executives Mike Young, whom the inquiry has not been able to find, and Lesley Sewell, and the general legal counsels Susan Crichton, Chris Aujard and Jane MacLeod. MacLeod is in Australia and refuses to attend the inquiry. However, she could be compelled to return to the UK to face charges.
Re: Mike Young – It seems to me astonishing that the inquiry has been unable to track him down, surely his hiding is tantamount to an admission of some form of guilt. The police need to become involved next in order to avail themselves of wider powers, and he needs to be brought to heel and made to explain himself.
It’s not inconceivable that the PO’s letters to Mr. Y got lost in the post.
Vennells is just a symptom of the deference we now have for “C-Suite” executives. I work in media relations in another industry but the mentality is the same – it’s all about protecting shareholder value and company reputation. I don’t think the UK has come to terms with the fact that public institutions such as post offices – or the NHS – are simply no longer relevant or sacrosanct. They are now overseen by people like Vennells who are very good at doing the ‘optics’ of respecting the organisation while managing its demise.
Not related to this disgraceful scandal, but Canada Post are making huge losses and contemplating the end of daily mail deliveries. Could move to every second day. In many places, including where I am, mail is no longer delivered to your door, but instead goes to a nearby pick up point that covers 30 or 40 properties.
What I cannot understand is how the Post Office and the CPS could prosecute over 900 sub-postmasters for the same offence and no one seems to have suspected that this was in any way unusual. Based on the current number of sub-postmasters operating in the UK, that works out as 13% of their workforce. Did no one think this was a bit odd?
Not sure the CPS had much involvement in the cases.
Due to the way The Post Office was set up when it started out, they were given the power to initiate prosecutions themselves. A power that no other public body has ever been given.
Exactly. And the CEO didn’t know that. Obv. FFS
According to the BBC, 700 cases were prosecuted by the Post Office and a further 283 by the CPS and other bodies. My point is that it’s flabbergasting that no one noticed the high number of prosecutions and found them in any way disproportionate.
That was the situation in England (& Wales I think). In Scotland they had to take the case they wanted to prosecute to the Procurator Fiscal who would decide whether or not to proceed. In Northern Ireland it was the DPP (Department for Public Prosecutions) that decided.
I subscribe to Private Eye and the New Yorker.
One of the benefits of subscribing to Private Eye is that you still get your copy in the event of some induction banning the sale of that edition. I don’t think it’s happened for years. But still – it’s always an exciting prospect.
What I didn’t expect was to be in that position in relation to the New Yorker – something I didn’t twig until I read it in the latest Private Eye! The court case concerned should, obviously, not be discussed here. However I have the horrible feeling that it might be another one for the list in due course…
A definite smell of rodent emanating from a certain court order regarding a certain high-profile criminal court case.
This from the current Private Eye.