Former postal affairs minister and current Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden gives evidence to the Post Office Inquiry. Subscribe to our new podcast now, or you're a silly goose: linktr.ee/pubcast
The most striking thing about these ministerial testimonies is the yawning gap that it uncovers - between their earnest statements of what should be done - and what they actually did when they held positions of power and had the ball at their feet. This speaks volumes.
Why do they get to be in a position to sign letters and receive the salary to do so without the buck stopping with them? It’s not as if they are extraordinarily intellects, they should be made to stand by anything their signature is alongside. It’s ludicrous.
@narcher91 because still like everyone, they have limited time, but part of their job is to get the people they trust but are probably paid higher than they are.
@@bob1234881 Exactly, I know a government minister cannot be made to read and curate every letter signed by him, but surely the salary and post-ministerial pension means the buck stops with them, it was a team picked by them or at least signed off by them. If I am the manager of a local swimming pool and I hire a local drunk as a lifeguard I should face the consequences.
The part of this that pisses me of is that the post office and Fujitsu will for the most part get away scot free. I get why these politicians are being held to account but lets not act like they're solely responsible for the post office and Fujitsu having so many opportunities to look into this matter themselves.
Not good enough. Horizon was brought in under a Lab gov in 1999 and they were responsible for everything that happened for 11 years until 2010 when the Coalition gov then sole Con gov continued to do the same. Both parties are responsible.
It's inconceivable that anyone looking at this could have come to the conclusion that hundreds of people had suddenly decided to undertake fraudulent activity. A nation of shop keepers all of whom are crooks? No sensible ordinary person would have believed this unless they had a natural contempt and expectations that the ordinary person is a crook. Frankly they see crooks everywhere because they live in a crooked world.
So true - these politicians of ALL colours judge others by their own (lack of) standards. I know someone affected by this; knew her for years before she got the postmaster job. She was always the rock, the trustworthy one, the one we all would trust to look after all our stuff at gigs and festivals 😂 That's who these people WERE, the best and most trustworthy of us.. Back in the 90s I would move round loads for work and used poste restante at loads of different offices around the country, always found them so conscientious and trustworthy.. POL absolutely screwed over so many decent people.. i have been SEETHING about this for years!
@@TheLampiniIts the ongoing debasement of the fabric of society understood in the most part to be made up of honest citizens. It's as if the economic ideology of "greed is good" is only functional when it forces every good person to take such a cynical position.
The Horizon scandal was not an error, since keep a ledger up to date is the simplest thing in the world right now (FTSE 100 companies, running much larger operations handle it daily). This was a consolidation strategy, the issues with Horizon have been used as a means to close smaller post offices. Look at the massive number of rural and community post offices have closed over the years
Absolutely agree, I was a Postmaster back in the 90’s and 2000’s and I can confirm that Post Office had an agenda closing offices by hook or by crook. And can also confirm that Post Office have horrible nasty bullies at management level.
@@mandeepsingh-tp6kd Meanness and misery were their only objectives; they pored over the books; they knew damn well a postal service cannot make high-street bank profits. or anywhere close. It's a public service EDIT: and to open a bigger door for private delivery services
@@mandeepsingh-tp6kd Thank-you! I think this is very important and being deliberately overlooked. I've long thought there was an agenda from the start. Also wrecking the PO so they can sell it off cheap.
This legislation that he mentions created an excellent loophole and avenue for bad actors to do things without oversight. So even Paula Vennels and her cohorts factually didn’t have a boss within the actual “owners” of the “company”. What a tragic error.
If he now wishes he should have done more, that is an acknowledgement of incompetency - and if he had any conscious for his contribution to peoples' misery and suicide, he would resign, and make a substantial payment to his victims
Seems to me it wouldn't have mattered how many sub postmaster had come forward he was rigid in his support for the post office and he was never going to believe dirty little working people. The top people were on his level so upper class tell no lies only workers do
Really a very incisive, focused and fascinating response. I am not British but from outside I am a sentimental LibDem. However, Pat MacFadden's response is far less defensive and more impressive and revealing than dear Sir Ed Davey (no sarcasm intended).
"We didn't have a separate source or store of information...", Translation, 'we (Labour as per usual) didn't do our jobs, we were too busy finding ways to crush anyone earning above the minimum wage excluding us and our buddies'
