Live-tweeting at the High Court. Again.
Well this is all a little strange. Hello to secret emailers new and old.
I am quite certain that some people reading this very kindly put money in the online tip jar because of the blow-by-blow tweets I was sending about the Johnny Depp libel trial.
The problem is, I have no way of knowing the motives behind your generous donation and it is entirely possible you stumbled across my Post Office work and donated because of that (and therefore fully expecting to receive these secret emails).
I am sure, if I had had a bit more time and knowledge of the Dark Arts, I could have set up two separate tip jars which would make it clear whether or not you are donating to help my work on the Johnny Depp trial or the Post Office. But I don’t and I didn’t, and as I was in a bit of a rush, I just repurposed my existing tip jar and here we are.
So, a big welcome to some no-doubt bewildered Johnny Depp libel trial followers who have wandered in to the Post Office scandal secret email by “mistake”.
I would obviously love it if you fancy sticking around to read occasional emails detailing a story described as perhaps “the largest miscarriage of justice in our history“, but I would fully understand if you decided this wasn’t for you.
There is an “unsubscribe” link in white text in the right hand side of the grey area at the bottom of this email. Please feel free to use it.
Alternatively, if you want to give this story a go, please click here for a quick 400 word primer.
For those of you who are here because you are interested in the Post Office story, I am sorry to have been absent. I got sent along to the Depp trial by 5 News, started live-tweeting it, and it got picked up all over the world. I have since put my Post Office work on hold, and I am afraid I will only be able to engage with it in a limited capacity whilst the trial is ongoing.
Tony’s on fire
So first of all my apologies to those who were expecting more pieces published on the Post Office Trial website, especially my guest bloggers. I have two backed up and I am expecting another soon. They will find their way to being published before the summer is out, I promise.
Thankfully there are now plenty of other journalists writing about the scandal as this piece in today’s Sunday People and this piece by Tony Collins on his Campaign for Change website shows.
In fact – Tony has written two recent pieces, both published on Friday:
and
How will the Horizon 900 prove their innocence?
The man’s on fire.
Crowdjustice total
There is quite a significant race against time happening this week. The Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance were able to extend their crowdfunding window until 15 July in their attempt to raise £98,000 to make a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman about the government’s handling of the Post Office scandal.
Excitingly, the total is within reach. At the time of writing, the JFSA is £12,000 short. If you support the JFSA’s aims and wish to see them cause some trouble for the government, I suspect now is the time to think about whether or not you might be able to consider doubling your pledge. All you have to do is click here and pledge again.
A mention in dispatches must go to the heroic former Subpostmaster Chris Head who got on his bike and without any training, completed the 135 mile Whitehaven to Sunderland coast to coast in just under 72 hours, raising more than £2000 in the process, a good chunk of which will go to the JFSA’s cause.
Finished 135 mile #C2C Whitehaven to Sunderland at 14:33 pm just before the 72 hr target of 3pm. Exhausted but great ride & for a really good cause. Please donate & share all you can afford. If I hit £50k you will be donating over £34k to the charities https://t.co/to3BltzvU7 pic.twitter.com/inKO8Onfo5
— Christopher Head (@chrish9070)
July 11, 2020
Well done Chris. I am in awe of your achievement and I am sure quite a few secret emailers are very proud of what you’ve achieved.
The Post Office Cover Up, parts 1 and 2
If you missed them last week, I published parts 1 and 2 of my most recent work on the Post Office, which details some of the senior people who were very close to the decision-making process around September 2013, which includes a good look at the Post Office’s then General Counsel and his approach to crisis management.
Part 1 is here and part 2 is here.
I am afraid that is all you are going to get from me for a bit website-wise, but I’ll try to send a few secret emails to mark any developments.
I am sorry for trying to ride two horses, but I will strap myself back onto the Post Office nag in early August and refocus.
Until then – giddy up!
Best
Nick