Archives :
June 2020
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Nick Read’s selective awareness
Last in the mini-trilogy Hi all Hope you had a good weekend. I’ve taken the opportunity to post up my thoughts on Nick Read’s letter to the BEIS select committee inquiry into the Post Office. Mr Read is the Post Office’s new-ish CEO. This completes a mini-trilogy which includes: Thoughts on Paula Vennells’ letter. Thoughts…
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Fujitsu tries to dodge the blame bus
It wasn’t them, guv Last secret email of the week! I promise… Just a very quick note to say I have properly fisked the the Fujitsu letter sent to the BEIS Select Committee inquiry. I think it is disingenuous almost to the point of being misleading in certain areas. Do have a read. If you…
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Vennells breaks her five year silence
Going down in a blaze of inglory A busy day today and I’ve promised my son I’ll take him down the park for a kickabout after tea, so I’ll try to keep this brief. This morning I posted a website piece about Paula Vennells stepping down from the Church of England’s Ethical Investments Advisory Group.…
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Select Committee Inquiry Klaxon!!!!
Parliament ponders private prosecutions Hello Sorry – I know I’ve been quiet over the past few days. I’ve spent the entire week calling (nearly) everyone who has contacted me about non-Post Office scandals since the R4 series and the Panorama went out. There are lots. How to turn them into Panoramas, podcasts, news reports, supplement…
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The Noble Minister’s Bottom
“Malevolent incompetence” Another day, another debate. Lord Arbuthnot, tireless campaigner for the Subpostmasters cause, was tilting at the government again today. In a short debate in the Lords this morning (watch it here), he put on the record his demand for a judge-led inquiry into the Post Office scandal. The minister, Lord Callanan, is holding…
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Another question in the House today
The red BEIS Hello again I was once filming for Channel 5 News in a young woman’s flat at something like 5am as she prepared to run her first London marathon. I noticed the extensive number of empty decorative champagne bottles on her sideboard, many with candles in. I commented on her collection and she…
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The Ethical Dimension
What’s the right thing to do? Morning secret emailers James Hartley was the lead solicitor for the claimants in Bates v Post Office. When I recorded an interview with him for Radio 4’s Great Post Office Trial, I was struck that when he and his colleagues were assessing the claimants case, they asked themselves “What…
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And on the red benches….
Going through the Early Day Motions Morning secret emailers I realise my last two missives have been lengthy. I’m going to keep this one as short as possible for your and my sanity. I have written up the two recent parliamentary debates with links to the video recording of it online and transcripts. You can…
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Anger in the House
Further questions in the Lords tonight So much for trying to take a few days off. This scandal has erupted. The Urgent Question moved in the Commons yesterday by the Labour whips unleashed quite an extraordinary action by MPs. They homed in with such precision on the hapless minister Paul Scully, by the end of…
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The morning after the night before…
Lots more to do Morning all Thanks to everyone who watched last night’s Panorama. Hopefully it will have created greater public awareness of the story. If you haven’t seen it, please do give it a go on iPlayer. I am deeply touched by all the kind comments and I am, once more, very grateful to…