Have followed this over the years, in Private Eye (who surprisingly didn't get a mention) and on Radio 4. It is a disgrace and also astonishing that a lot of other sub-Postmasters are coming out of the woodwork only after the programme. Has a programme ever had such an enlightening effect before? I'm at a loss to understand why, when so many were finding fault with it, that Royal Mail did not have someone in their organisation intelligent enough to realise something was wrong. If we believe in Free Markets this is where the shareholders will have to pay, or should. No doubt there will be the argument that this is a legacy issue, pre-privatisation, that means the Government ( and Labour, Conservative and Liberals should hold their heads in shame) and hence the tax payer must make things right.
It didn't even need intelligence did it. it was staring them in the face. Should have been sorted out within a couple of months after it cropped up in a couple of branches. Would have saved the unbearable lives so many had to suffer and also saved the PO a fortune. Not even the first one should have been prosecuted without a proper review. Is there a word for worse than disgusting?
The thing I find baffling with this story comes from comparison with my working life. All businesses I’ve in been employed by kept records of security and H&S incidents that occurred. They would be reviewed periodically by H&S/Security Committees and also be reported to Trustees/Governors (Charity/Education) and you’d have to report on actions taken where there were increases in any areas. The PO must have recorded and reported on prosecutions of sub postmasters for fraud/theft which probably bumped along at a pretty consistent very low % year after year. There were 750 odd instances (out of 20000 sub postmasters across the country) after Horizon was introduced over the course of the next decade so the % of sub postmasters who became thieves rose dramatically yet nobody joined the dots? Or they did join the dots but decided to bury it. If it’s the former they’re criminally negligent in their governance imo. If it’s the latter then that’s just plain criminal. Either way both the PO and Fujitsu have to be held accountable.
Maybe it's the difference between a Service industry and a Commercial Supplier. The company I worked for saw complaints (which were always taken extremely seriously) as opportunities to improve ourselves.
Went to see the recent Scorsese film, billed as his best of the last 30 years. Thank God I didn't see any of them.
You can get these old Coronation Street episodes on YouTube. How wet was Emily Bishop? And Mike Baldwin, pops into the Rovers at lunchtime for a double scotch and always says "one for yourself too" . The young Deidrie was pretty foxy though
I love these "Train Guy" shorts from Bob Mortimer - I'm sure we've all experienced these annoying people on the train and Bob carries it of beautifully
Just watched One Life at the pictures. Very emotional and moving film. Great performances by all the cast and especially by Hopkins and Johny Flynn (the singer of the Detectorists theme tune); an incredible story. We need an army of Ordinary People more than ever in this country.
I saw it last week Bustino. I thought Hopkins was superb. I enjoyed it so much, I would even pay to see it again.
"The Rhythm of the Night", catchy 'beat', if nothing else! Corona - The Rhythm of the Night (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)
Thanks both for the recommendation for One Life. Have booked tickets for the local indy cinema in Feb
Found this to be a very interesting article on the background to Stanley Kubrick's classic satirical film, "Dr. Strangelove", my own personal favourite movie of all time. Some extraordinary assertions as to who might have been the person, in real-life, that the character was based on. Other intriguing comments too on related books on the theme, some written many years before the making of the film. Dr Strangelove at 60: The mystery behind Kubrick's Cold War masterpiece - BBC Culture
An almighty rendition by Rolf Ganter of "Chariots Of Fire" on the Wersi Sonic OAX1000** : **Costs just under a cool 40k €
Oh gosh, have just come across the Scottish-Australian folk singer, Eric Bogle's, own composition, "The band played Waltzing Matilda", sung with his long-time fellow folk singer, John Campbell Munro, (also Scottish-Australian) Both emigrated in 1969 from Scotland and settled in Adelaide, South Australia, where Eric still lives. John Munro died in May, 2018. This is truly a brilliant folk song, a tragic story of WW1, in fact it would apply to any war where ordinary citizens were expected to fight in a foreign land for an equally-foreign country.This rendition of "The band played Waltzing Matilda" takes around 9-minutes. It was so captivating that I listened to it all the way through, just didn't want to miss a word. One of the very best folk songs I have ever heard, even though its message was so desperately sad and tragic. Have to admit I got pretty choked-up. Eric Bogle - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (youtube.com)
Yes really excellent, Oddy. For myself, have to stick with Eric Bogle's version with John Munro, after all Eric first thought of the total injustice of it all, and composed this folk song in memory of those brave lads. What a really ghastly waste of young lives, and to think it was the utter stupidity of the orders of senior British army officers who basically brought about this horrifying chain of events.
Just read through the seemingly hundreds of comments on this folk song, (on the BBC website) and one guy reported that not so long after Eric Bogle's first rendition of his folk song (in 1971), there was a contest downunder, in a well-known theatre, for the best piece of music written over the past few years or so.. "The band played Waltzing Matilda" came in third. Result - the audience rioted! The guy finished with the words, "You've godda love those Aussies at times" Hear, hear, in this case for damn sure!
