Archives :
2020
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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…
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Tonight: Panorama – Scandal at the Post Office
BBC1 7.30pm tonight. Except Wales. Bore da I am not sure why Wales doesn’t get to see Panorama: Scandal at the Post Office tonight at 7.30pm on BBC1. It’s a tiny bit galling as Alan Bates, founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters’ Alliance, and key contributor to tonight’s programme, lives there. The first showing in…
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Resend: Goodbye Radio 4, Hello Panorama
Friday email resend Morning secret emailers With apologies if you get this email twice – I sent the original before 9am this morning and it still hasn’t reached many people. So here goes again. We reach the conclusion to the ten-part Radio 4 series The Great Post Office Trial at 1.45pm today. Part 10 is…
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Goodbye Radio 4, Hello Panorama
So now what? Morning secret emailers We reach the conclusion to the ten-part Radio 4 series The Great Post Office Trial at 1.45pm today. Part 10 is called “What the Hell Had Happened” and it brings us from December to this week. If you miss it going out live you can download or listen to…