The news thread

[Ally Bongo]

Compare the post office scandal to the billions that have been "legally" syphoned off in the last 14 years by the Tories and their pals

[TDYER63]

33 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

I want to know where the money went. This bland blanket statement that "it all got merged into the post office profits" just doesn't wash with me. People made a lot of money out of this, and they should made to pay it back and possibly be prosecuted.

I assume you are talking about money from the  ‘losses ‘ that never were , as opposed to the money the sub post masters paid back ( I would expect fairly clear accounting on that if the money was sat in an account) 

This chat shows various ways in which the money could have disappeared.

https://www.postofficescandal.uk/post/podcast-where-did-all-the-money-go/#comments

There is a guy, Michael Pierce, in the comments section, who was a sub post master and had a strange situation with postage stamps not balancing. 
He was also saying this which seems almost unbelievable. 

People are also mentioning the fact that if it were genuine computer errors as opposed to fraud then there must have been times the stock/ profits were overstated. What happened on those occasions. 
It seems an utter mess..

 

 

[Orraloon]

It's starting to sound like we already have a Tory/Labour coalition ready to go to war. Starting a war is probably the only way that Sunak can hold onto power. He will be thinking "Well, it worked for Thatcher".

[StirlingEgg]

Starmer's response heard earlier was his usual "we back the govt's action but it's not how we would have gone about it". His standard response to everything. I can't think of a single policy or contentious issue that's been properly challenged or with a different perspective put forward. 

[StirlingEgg]

8 hours ago, Orraloon said:

I want to know where the money went. This bland blanket statement that "it all got merged into the post office profits" just doesn't wash with me. People made a lot of money out of this, and they should made to pay it back and possibly be prosecuted.

There's probably some ridiculous explanation like the Horizon system was piloted using Japanese Yen or something. Something so fundamental they can't possibly admit it. Their net income was in the billions for 2022 so they should just be funding a massive payout. They created the software, put pressure on the UK govt, lied about the issues then gave unsatisfactory evidence. No 'lessons learned' hot air; fine them, cancel existing contracts, corporate manslaughter. 

[Ally Bongo]

Rochdale asian grooming gangs and the police

• 2007 - Ms Rowbotham and her team alerted GMP and Rochdale Council about a gang of men of Pakistani and Afghan heritage engaged in CSE, who also used children for their illegal drug deals. GMP and Rochdale Council chose not to progress any investigation into these men", according to the review.
• 2008 - A girl who was arrested on suspicion of damaging a takeaway said she had been raped and sexually assaulted by its staff. An investigation failed to bring any charges but identified widespread CSE by at least 30 adults. Another child later gave evidence about sexual abuse at the same venues, but the detective responsible failed to focus on her account and there was insufficient effort to identify the rapist.
• 2010 - More than two years after first being told of abuse centred on two takeaway restaurants, GMP launched Operation Span
• 2012 - Nine men who ran a CSE ring were consequently convicted and jailed for offences including rape. The trial heard girls as young as 12 were plied with alcohol and drugs and gang raped in rooms above takeaway shops and ferried to different flats in taxis where cash was paid to use the girls. Both the Crown Prosecution Service and GMP apologised for their failures after the conviction.
• GMP have since launched further investigations, which have so far resulted in the conviction of 42 men involved in the abuse of 13 children with more trials scheduled for later this year.

[Malcolm]

5 hours ago, Orraloon said:

It's starting to sound like we already have a Tory/Labour coalition ready to go to war. Starting a war is probably the only way that Sunak can hold onto power. He will be thinking "Well, it worked for Thatcher".

 

we can’t stand by and watch our supply chain being attacked.  We should be taking action.

 

[Malcolm]

2 hours ago, StirlingEgg said:

There's probably some ridiculous explanation like the Horizon system was piloted using Japanese Yen or something. Something so fundamental they can't possibly admit it. Their net income was in the billions for 2022 so they should just be funding a massive payout. They created the software, put pressure on the UK govt, lied about the issues then gave unsatisfactory evidence. No 'lessons learned' hot air; fine them, cancel existing contracts, corporate manslaughter. 

the fundamental issue as I understand it was that the system did not guarantee the integrity of a transaction completing so you therefor had situations when only one side of a double entry transaction was logged. Possibly that would be caused  when a remote device lost its connection part way through the transaction. A financial transaction should only “commit” to the database when both sides of the double entry transaction are logged.  If not, the transaction should “roll back” to maintain financial integrity.

 

 

[StirlingEgg]

2 minutes ago, Malcolm said:

the fundamental issue as I understand it was that the system did not guarantee the integrity of a transaction completing so you therefor had situations when only one side of a double entry transaction was logged. Possibly that would be caused  when a remote device lost its connection part way through the transaction. A financial transaction should only “commit” to the database when both sides of the double entry transaction are logged.  If not, the transaction should “roll back” to maintain financial integrity.

 

 

Has someone admitted such a problem with the system? 

[Malcolm]

6 minutes ago, StirlingEgg said:

Has someone admitted such a problem with the system? 

No, it’s purely speculation from someone I know who used to run a post office and is qualified in Technology.

[vanderark14]

what a response by the so called well educated prime minister. Playground whataboutery 

 

[Orraloon]

11 hours ago, Ally Bongo said:

Rochdale asian grooming gangs and the police

• 2007 - Ms Rowbotham and her team alerted GMP and Rochdale Council about a gang of men of Pakistani and Afghan heritage engaged in CSE, who also used children for their illegal drug deals. GMP and Rochdale Council chose not to progress any investigation into these men", according to the review.
• 2008 - A girl who was arrested on suspicion of damaging a takeaway said she had been raped and sexually assaulted by its staff. An investigation failed to bring any charges but identified widespread CSE by at least 30 adults. Another child later gave evidence about sexual abuse at the same venues, but the detective responsible failed to focus on her account and there was insufficient effort to identify the rapist.
• 2010 - More than two years after first being told of abuse centred on two takeaway restaurants, GMP launched Operation Span
• 2012 - Nine men who ran a CSE ring were consequently convicted and jailed for offences including rape. The trial heard girls as young as 12 were plied with alcohol and drugs and gang raped in rooms above takeaway shops and ferried to different flats in taxis where cash was paid to use the girls. Both the Crown Prosecution Service and GMP apologised for their failures after the conviction.
• GMP have since launched further investigations, which have so far resulted in the conviction of 42 men involved in the abuse of 13 children with more trials scheduled for later this year.

It's absolutely shocking. You'd be tempted to think that the police might have been in on it?

[scotlad]

2 hours ago, Orraloon said:

It's absolutely shocking. You'd be tempted to think that the police might have been in on it?

There's more than just a whiff of corruption about it. One of the worst parts of the whole thing was a lassie who had herself been a victim of grooming, being portrayed in court as a groomer herself; kind of like a "madam", trying to find other girls for the gang. It's just horrible.

[scotlad]

And then we have the famously self-righteous Andy Burnham, "King of the North" (or whatever it is he revels in being called) describing the victims as "young women". They were weans, FFS!

 

 

[Rich NATA]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited January 18 by Rich NATA

[Hertsscot]

4 hours ago, Rich NATA said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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No NHS waiting lists for the royals.

[Rich NATA]

1 hour ago, Hertsscot said:

No NHS waiting lists for the royals.

The day after the Rwanda vote and the news a wee boy tragically starved to death after his Father dropped dead in the home... And almost every front page covered the royals and their minor ops.

Shelagh Fogerty (LBC) likes the monarchy, but even she was like WTF at those front pages.   Pray for them?   FFS.

[Orraloon]

10 hours ago, Rich NATA said:

The day after the Rwanda vote and the news a wee boy tragically starved to death after his Father dropped dead in the home... And almost every front page covered the royals and their minor ops.

Shelagh Fogerty (LBC) likes the monarchy, but even she was like WTF at those front pages.   Pray for them?   FFS.

The UK is getting more like North Korea every day.

[StirlingEgg]

11 hours ago, Rich NATA said:

The day after the Rwanda vote and the news a wee boy tragically starved to death after his Father dropped dead in the home... And almost every front page covered the royals and their minor ops.

Shelagh Fogerty (LBC) likes the monarchy, but even she was like WTF at those front pages.   Pray for them?   FFS.

Can never get my head round the misplaced sympathy/empathy of British Nationalists/Royalists/Tories. People are drowning in freezing waters and they want to deport them to Rwanda. Well they can carry on praying for Royalty and see how that works out but meanwhile should do something more constructive for folk in need. 

Edited January 19 by StirlingEgg

[Squirrelhumper]

Sturgeon looking more dodgy by the minute in the covid enquiry.

[ger intae them]

I’m don’t know enough about this …….. but what’s the issue with them deleting their messages?
Understand at some point a commitment was given about sharing WhatsApp content with the enquiry, but when you look at which media sources are going into meltdown on this, it looks kinda witch-hunt time again.

Deleting to stop them getting into public domain actually seems reasonable to me.

[vanderark14]

1 hour ago, ger intae them said:

I’m don’t know enough about this …….. but what’s the issue with them deleting their messages?
Understand at some point a commitment was given about sharing WhatsApp content with the enquiry, but when you look at which media sources are going into meltdown on this, it looks kinda witch-hunt time again.

Deleting to stop them getting into public domain actually seems reasonable to me.

Agreed

Unfortunately there are too many Scots who buy into the media nonsense. Divide and conquer at plat by the unionist side and its working well for them

[Broath Boy]

16 minutes ago, vanderark14 said:

Agreed

Unfortunately there are too many Scots who buy into the media nonsense. Divide and conquer at plat by the unionist side and its working well for them

Agreed and too many so called Independence supporters on here say they hate the SNP so won’t vote for them and thus no Independence, I couldn’t give a fukk about what’s app or recycle schemes or campervans or Humza or blokes in wifeys jail, the ONLY tool to get Independence is vote SNP, if you don’t then you never really wanted Independence.

[stocky]

It has been stated many times that the S.G. did not use whaddsapp as a tool to decide business or policy.

The UK govt,the COVID enquiry and the press all know this 

However the gullible soak it up 

On both sides 

[ger intae them]

22 minutes ago, Broath Boy said:

Agreed and too many so called Independence supporters on here say they hate the SNP so won’t vote for them and thus no Independence, I couldn’t give a fukk about what’s app or recycle schemes or campervans or Humza or blokes in wifeys jail, the ONLY tool to get Independence is vote SNP, if you don’t then you never really wanted Independence.

Totally agree…… leave the shitty detail to one side and aim at the big objective.