Post office horizon scandal
Watching for the 2nd time the ITV Horizon programme and i can honestly say ive never watched a TV programme that's moved me so mu h
ArishMell · 70-79, M
I have not seen it, with having no TV, but what surprises me is the BBC keeps citing the ITV production despite having been way ahead of ITV by running a long, Radio Four, non-drama, investigative series on the scandal - but barely mentions it.
So the ineptitude, lying, callousness, bullying and sheer cowardice not of the "Post Office" and Fujitsu, but of the handful of over-promoted managers and incompetent programmers responsible, has been public knowledge for quite a long time.
In fact the Government had been trying to investigate it for years but was too easily fobbed off and lied to by PO directors who have shown themselves so bad at their work I would not trust to run a church-hall jumble-sale.
(For those not familiar with this, the Post office wanted a new computer system for all its branches. Instead of employing its own IT people, or at least a UK company, it bought the system, called "Horizon", from Japanese company Fujitsu. It since proved very poorly written, but the PO directors swept that under the carpet and pushed it into service untested. When it started to show faults, Fujitsu allowed its technicians on night shifts to use real branch accounts to try to correct them - and this clumsy nocturnal tinkering created apparent losses that looked like thefts by branch managers. So the PO directors colluded to persecute and prosecute their staff rather than having the courage and morality to admit they'd bought rubbish software and give Fujitsu an ultimatum; which in my view should have been, "Make it work correctly in all parts, proven by independent audit, within one month or you delete it, refund the fees and don't expect further contracts from us". Some of the branch managers even tried to cover the "losses" with their own money: I don't know if the Public Inquiry has yet established what happened to that, which should have shown as unexplained profits because no money was actually missing, nor why the auditors did not detect it.)
So the ineptitude, lying, callousness, bullying and sheer cowardice not of the "Post Office" and Fujitsu, but of the handful of over-promoted managers and incompetent programmers responsible, has been public knowledge for quite a long time.
In fact the Government had been trying to investigate it for years but was too easily fobbed off and lied to by PO directors who have shown themselves so bad at their work I would not trust to run a church-hall jumble-sale.
(For those not familiar with this, the Post office wanted a new computer system for all its branches. Instead of employing its own IT people, or at least a UK company, it bought the system, called "Horizon", from Japanese company Fujitsu. It since proved very poorly written, but the PO directors swept that under the carpet and pushed it into service untested. When it started to show faults, Fujitsu allowed its technicians on night shifts to use real branch accounts to try to correct them - and this clumsy nocturnal tinkering created apparent losses that looked like thefts by branch managers. So the PO directors colluded to persecute and prosecute their staff rather than having the courage and morality to admit they'd bought rubbish software and give Fujitsu an ultimatum; which in my view should have been, "Make it work correctly in all parts, proven by independent audit, within one month or you delete it, refund the fees and don't expect further contracts from us". Some of the branch managers even tried to cover the "losses" with their own money: I don't know if the Public Inquiry has yet established what happened to that, which should have shown as unexplained profits because no money was actually missing, nor why the auditors did not detect it.)
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ArishMell · 70-79, M
@allygator18 They were so desperate to maintain the Post Office's reputation and their own positions that they did not care how they did it.
It is very common for major institutions to buy extremely complicated, costly software systems from contractors that do not know the customers' work; but then do little or nothing to ensure the systems work properly, are maintained.properly - and are safe from external attacks.
In this case though, the directors went further and used the PO branch staff as scapegoats, in a disgusting show of cowardice, deceit, perjury and cruelty.
It is very common for major institutions to buy extremely complicated, costly software systems from contractors that do not know the customers' work; but then do little or nothing to ensure the systems work properly, are maintained.properly - and are safe from external attacks.
In this case though, the directors went further and used the PO branch staff as scapegoats, in a disgusting show of cowardice, deceit, perjury and cruelty.
zonavar68 · 56-60, M
Systemic government extortion.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@zonavar68 It was not. Your are wrong on both of the second words.
It was systematic back-covering and self-serving by a handful of senior directors, and sheer incompetence by their IT contractors - but I would agree the Government should have been less complacent and sorted it, and them, all out years ago.
It was systematic back-covering and self-serving by a handful of senior directors, and sheer incompetence by their IT contractors - but I would agree the Government should have been less complacent and sorted it, and them, all out years ago.
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