Mr Bates vs The Post Office

Author
Discussion

tamore

Original Poster:

7,887 posts

291 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
really looking forward to this, and hope it gets the story back in the public conscience.

how nobody from the post office or fujitsu is doing a stretch is beyond me. they have ruined multiple lives, and it's been blamed directly for 4 suicides.

Its Just Adz

15,000 posts

216 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
I don't really know the back story, only heard snippets of news.
I'll watch it though, looks interesting.

SteBrown91

2,570 posts

136 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
Its Just Adz said:
I don't really know the back story, only heard snippets of news.
I'll watch it though, looks interesting.
There’s a really good podcast series on bbc sounds that covers this scandal in a lot of detail - worth a listen.

Lucas Ayde

3,727 posts

175 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
tamore said:
really looking forward to this, and hope it gets the story back in the public conscience.

how nobody from the post office or fujitsu is doing a stretch is beyond me. they have ruined multiple lives, and it's been blamed directly for 4 suicides.
.. because big organisations look after their own and the whole system is corrupt. The very fact that it's got so little news coverage (relative to the size of the scandal) is itself telling that important people are covering their behinds.

cuprabob

15,699 posts

221 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
For those not aware the drama referred to stars Toby Jones and is on ITV, New Year's Day at 9pm.

SydneyBridge

9,417 posts

165 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
I follow this chap and he has written a superb book

https://www.postofficescandal.uk/

Hopefully justice one day for those who knew


DeejRC

6,465 posts

89 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
Lucas Ayde said:
tamore said:
really looking forward to this, and hope it gets the story back in the public conscience.

how nobody from the post office or fujitsu is doing a stretch is beyond me. they have ruined multiple lives, and it's been blamed directly for 4 suicides.
.. because big organisations look after their own and the whole system is corrupt. The very fact that it's got so little news coverage (relative to the size of the scandal) is itself telling that important people are covering their behinds.
It was the major headline news on all the major BBC & ITN & SKY news bulletins when the scandal was broken and the court judgements wasn’t it? That’s not exactly hidden away…

Lucas Ayde

3,727 posts

175 months

Thursday 28th December 2023
quotequote all
DeejRC said:
It was the major headline news on all the major BBC & ITN & SKY news bulletins when the scandal was broken and the court judgements wasn’t it? That’s not exactly hidden away…
It's a massive scandal and has been running for years with more and more egregious revelations coming out during the inquiry and various court actions. Yet the average person has heard little of it and at most knows that there was some sort of scandal around postmasters and a dodgy computer system.

The ironic thing is because it has been so shocking that it's inspired a piece of drama to be created about it which is more likely to inform the public than the so called 'news media' have.

Luckily some independent journalists and commentators have been documenting it:
https://www.postofficescandal.uk/

Lucas Ayde

3,727 posts

175 months

Thursday 28th December 2023
quotequote all
SydneyBridge said:
I follow this chap and he has written a superb book

https://www.postofficescandal.uk/

Hopefully justice one day for those who knew
Not going to happen unless there is a massive public outcry to put pressure on politicians and that's not gonna happen so long as the details keep going unreported in the mainstream.

Maybe this drama will pique public interest.

cuprabob

15,699 posts

221 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
All episodes currently available on ItvX / STV Player

tamore

Original Poster:

7,887 posts

291 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
knowledge that the system was faulty and continuing to prosecute innocent people and ruining their lives. indeed, directly driving at least 4 to end their lives, i'd go corp manslaughter?

looks like the post i was replying to was deleted before i pressed submit. was questioning what the execs actually did wrong.

Edited by tamore on Monday 1st January 15:26

lornemalvo

2,456 posts

75 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
tamore said:
knowledge that the system was faulty and continuing to prosecute innocent people and ruining their lives. indeed, directly driving at least 4 to end their lives, i'd go corp manslaughter?

looks like the post i was replying to was deleted before i pressed submit. was questioning what the execs actually did wrong.

Edited by tamore on Monday 1st January 15:26
Corporate manslaughter's a waste of time, it punishes the company not individuals. I can't believe that anyone could think that their organisation had 700 corrupt/dishonest people in charge of their post offices. The people should go to jail.

Milkyway

10,060 posts

60 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
Intrigued & going to have to watch it... Toby Jones is a class actor too.
I was unaware of the story, but the lady portrayed in it ran the PO in my late Uncles Village...so he would have been living there at the time. angel

Bonefish Blues

29,391 posts

230 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
lornemalvo said:
tamore said:
knowledge that the system was faulty and continuing to prosecute innocent people and ruining their lives. indeed, directly driving at least 4 to end their lives, i'd go corp manslaughter?

looks like the post i was replying to was deleted before i pressed submit. was questioning what the execs actually did wrong.

Edited by tamore on Monday 1st January 15:26
Corporate manslaughter's a waste of time, it punishes the company not individuals. I can't believe that anyone could think that their organisation had 700 corrupt/dishonest people in charge of their post offices. The people should go to jail.
I bet someone turned up in a boardroom and proudly announced that the new system had uncovered widespread hitherto undetected fraud.

paulrockliffe

15,998 posts

234 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
Interesting that the current ITV boss is heavily implicated in the story, but doesn't feature at all in the dramatisation that's on.....er.....ITV.

tamore

Original Poster:

7,887 posts

291 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
Bonefish Blues said:
I bet someone turned up in a boardroom and proudly announced that the new system had uncovered widespread hitherto undetected fraud.
probably didn't quite happen like that, but they absolutely knew the system wasn't calculating correctly.

SydneyBridge

9,417 posts

165 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
It was assumed that the computer system could not possibly be wrong

Eric Mc

122,854 posts

272 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
SydneyBridge said:
It was assumed that the computer system could not possibly be wrong
HAL 9000 springs to mind

tamore

Original Poster:

7,887 posts

291 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
SydneyBridge said:
It was assumed that the computer system could not possibly be wrong
not what the panorama programme unearthed. the code was bad, fujitsu knew it was bad, the techies said it needed a re-write, cost was put ahead of integrity. the rest is history…….

TRIUMPHBULLET

703 posts

120 months

Monday 1st January
quotequote all
SydneyBridge said:
It was assumed that the computer system could not possibly be wrong
Yet when they found out it was faulty those that controlled the Post Office and that IT system did everything they could to bury the facts.
Many of those involved will never face trial for the false accusations that led to prison sentences, divorces, loss of homes and worse still, suicides.
That in itself is a national scandal.