UK Post Office Scandal - NOT amateur radio

 Yesterday, I mentioned this unbelievable scandal. 

Please may I urge all UK blog readers to write to their MPs so they are in no doubt that the general public want this resolved quickly and we are not at all impressed by the inactions so far.

UK sub-postmaster/mistress scandal - NOT amateur radio

Usually I try to be a peace loving and reasonable person, but this makes my blood boil and I am absolutely fuming!!

For over 20 years, UK sub-postmen and women have been trying to get justice for wrongs done when money went missing due to an IT software bug. Now, in all my professional life I have rarely, if ever,  come across software that is totally bug free. The more complex the software, the more likely that it will contain rare bugs. In this case the software was called Horizon and designed by Fujitsu.

When over 700 people had issues with tallying up the money what did the PO do? Fail to investigate and LIE that nobody else had the problem. People at the PO and Fujitsu knew but covered it up. Instead, some went to prison, some were driven to suicide, some were disgraced in the papers and lost their livelihoods. These people were deeply wronged. This is a scandal of epic scale. In my view this is the worst scandal in recent UK history.

Recently, a TV drama has brought the gross injustice these poor people have suffered for many years to the forefront.  The people who knew the truth have never, yet, been brought to justice. The woman in charge of the Post Office at the time was even made a CBE (a very high honour in the UK) in 2019. Those responsible must find it hard to sleep at night.

Thankfully, there are several petitions doing the rounds and this is now headline news.

I hope all affected are given very generous payments for all the wrong done to these people and their families and I very much hope all those who knew about this injustice are given long jail sentences. If they are declared bankrupt, so be it.

See https://www.change.org/p/biztradegovuk-post-office-scandal-full-compensation-and-accountability .

See https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/strip-paula-vennells-of-her-cbe?source=homepage&utm_medium=promotion&utm_source=homepage

If you feel able, please sign both petitions so this is headline news and justice is done.

 See also https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67899189 .

UK post office scandal - NOT amateur radio

This is an unbelievable scandal. Back in the early 2000s several hundreds of UK sub-postmasters were audited.  Apparently many were accused of fraud and were even put in jail. Some even committed suicide.

It turns out the software was at fault! These people were totally wronged.

The person that was allegedly in charge at the time is now an ordained church minister! I cannot believe this person has not been put in jail and the keys thrown away. This is a total injustice!  This person and whoever else was in charge back then should carry the can for this injustice.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60335109 .

UK sub-postmaster scandal - NOT amateur radio

If you live in the UK, you will be aware of the scandal that has engulfed the Post Office. 

The Post Office installed a new (at the time) computer system that was faulty.  Many sub-postmasters were wrongly accused of fraud and some lost homes or were even imprisoned. It amazes me the PO did apparently nothing. Surely alarm bells would have rung when so many were accused of fraud?

Apparently the once boss of the PO has resigned from some directorships she held.

In my view, those in charge of the PO at the time should face the full force of the law. This scandal ruined many lives and those in charge deserve to be prosecuted for gross incompetence.  At the very least, some should face heavy fines and possible imprisonment. 

I sincerely hope that all the people affected by the scandal are very generously compensated. If it was me in government, I'd make those in charge at the time pay and hopefully they would be made bankrupt. Let them feel (really feel) the consequences of their gross inaction. Others suffered. Why should the helpless suffer and not those responsible? Sorry, but this makes my blood boil.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56882496 .

Post Office cock-up - NOT amateur radio

Years after a faulty computer system (Horizon) resulted in hundreds of sub-postmasters being prosecuted for fraud (some were imprisoned, went bankrupt or lost homes), some have had their convictions quashed.

I hope those in charge at the time are sent to prison. Why should so many innocent people suffer for the total ineptness of those in charge?  Some sub-postmasters have died and some have lost marriages. 

This was a cock-up on a monumental scale. You are not telling me someone at the top didn't smell a rat when so many were being convicted of fraud? At the very least this is gross incompetence. At worse, it was a cover-up. 

Heads MUST roll!!

Barclays Bank - NOT amateur radio

Apparently in the UK, Barclays Bank has had a change of heart and decided, after all, to continue to allow people to get cash from their local post office. This was due to end at the end of the year.

Unless I am mistaken Barclays usually makes billions each year in profits.  Our local branch of Barclays closed over a year ago and getting cash from the Post Office has been a real help. The Barclays Banks in nearby Newmarket and Cambridge are huge. We know about one disabled lady who would have to walk twice as far for cash if the Post Office stopped its link with Barclays. I suspect Barclays go lots of complaints.

Barclays - you must have been stupid!! My personal opinion and others are free to disagree.

Post Office Travel Card - NOT amateur radio

The UK Post Office offers a prepay travel card which appears quite good. As my old card expired last month and I changed my address, they promised to send me a new card, credited with the money left on the old card. No card arrived and I got an email saying they were experiencing very high loads and apologies. Today I got an email asking me to call their customer services number. All I can say is CRAP!! To say I am annoyed is an understatement.