plus: Lyons’ blindness and Caring Hugh
Alwen Lyons is clearly a bright and capable woman. She wanted to do good things with her time on this earth and yet she spent her entire career at a company which destroyed the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people. Whilst she was there. Whilst she was very much involved in minimising the attempts to bring a vast scandal to her attention. The cognitive dissonance on display is bewildering.
Anyway, I’ve written up my take on Lyons’ evidence here.
Caring Hugh
I’ve also written up a couple of emails which surfaced yesterday written by Post Office lawyer Hugh Flemington. The first shows an absolute **** in action. The second I feel could be used as evidence in a criminal prosecution. It’s potentially a starting point.
I’ve written that up here.
Waiting for Paula
It’s a filthy day in London this morning. I got rained on heavily when I left Aldwych House yesterday and I got rained on heavily as I walked back from Waterloo to Aldwych this morning. I’ve dried out in a Pret, where I had a nice chat with the BBC’s Emma Simpson. I’m now trying to decide whether or not to join the media scrum standing outside Aldwych House in the rain or wait till the Inquiry hearing room opens up at 8.30am.
Having become progressively disillusioned by the questions asked and answers given at the Inquiry in recent weeks, I’m not expecting much from Vennells over the next three days.
I’m presuming Jason Beer KC will be doing the honours, which gives me some hope, but it really is so disappointing that Vennells et al have consistently refused (with one exception) to subject themselves to proper journalistic scrutiny, either whilst in post or on leaving office.
If someone like Emma Barnett, Mishal Hussain, James O’Brien or Alex Thomson was given hours of preparation time, almost unlimited access to documents and a day (or three) to question some of these witnesses, I think everyone (including those being questioned) would have a much clearer understanding of what went wrong and where the personal accountability lies.
Instead, we’re left to stand outside, lobbing questions in the rain, as Alex Thomson did to Alwen Lyons yesterday. It’s worth a watch.
Right I’m going in
Vennells’ evidence starts at 9.45am. You can watch it live on youtube here. If you can’t watch video where you are I’ll live-tweet (here) from the Inquiry, posting up lots of documents as I go. I may or may not have time to put up a blog post this evening. These are looong days and I’m being pulled in lots of directions.
Let’s see what the morning brings!
All best
Nick