Mr Bates Vs the Post Office: Star Monica Dolan & the Real-Life Jo Hamilton Tell All | This Morning

[@paulo1787]

What a wonderful person, Jo and the others are restoring my faith in human nature 😊

[@julierogers1155]

My heart goes out to Jo Hamilton, what a nightmare the institution put her through. Shame on Paula Vennells.

[@limedickandrew6016]

I think Paula Vennells only became CEO of the post office in 2012. The issues with Horizon stretch back to 1999, and possibly even earlier. So she isn't the only one to blame.

[@fishhugify]

I 1000% agree

[@neildyer4433]

Follicle of course she knew

[@zie9171]

Shame on Vennels, Angela van ..., Straw, Starmer, and many more. The public want them in court.

[@travelwell6049]

At least Jo Hamilton had the support of her village who all knew she did nothing wrong. Unlike many of the others who were beating up or spat on by locals who believed the allegations.

[@OKauyon]

The most disgusting thing is that the Sub-Postmasters havent even gotten back what they (unjustly)paid the Post Office!

[@wickedwitchoftheeast88]

The irony of it all is that they accused those postmasters/misstresses of theft and the real thieves were the Post Office themselblves. They stole life savings, houses, health and even lives because four people comitted suicide over the stress of it all and Paula Vennells is responsible. She supposed to a christian woman yet she refuses to take any accountability and responsibility for any of it and even lied and refused to answer the comittee when questioned. Her behaviour is shocking, callous and outrageous along with her utter nerve at walking around with her nose still in there air she needs knocking off that perch of hers!

[@maxy-sp7cn]

Many people at the top of the Post office, Fujitsu and government need to be held accountable, stripped of everything and jailed. I hope the innocent victims get long overdue compensation and their names cleared in months, certainly not have to wait more years. The nation stands with everyone one of those remarkable post masters and mistresses.

[@martinnewtonholmes]

This may well bring the Post Office down and Fujitsu becoming the new Ratners

[@bejbimama6689]

As an IT analyst, I think Fujitsu should pay a contribution premium plus all the costs these postmasters pay to fight justice. The Post Office should pay them all the lost revenue from running the post office over the years. They should protect their own postmasters from errors in the system and they have failed.

[@AndyCutright]

I'm a software engineer, I'm just gobsmacked. It seems like there was no acceptance testing. Fujitsu has been around for decades, you'd think they had an engineering process for these sorts of projects which should have included QA. What I can see of this, it seems like the problems occurred almost immediately. The Post Office could have just told Fujitsu clearly something is wrong, "We have hundreds of Postmasters reporting these large discrepancies right after the switch, this is likely your fault." And yet it appears the Post Office decided almost immediately to hide the problem, and start lying to the Postmasters. So many failures coupled with what seems to be true criminal intent in blaming the Postmasters. Just horrible.

[@davidgay1z]

Here is the thing, apart from all the other aspects of this affair the role of Lord Neuberger in the Recusal seems to have escaped attention. I have therefore pasted the following ‘The role of Lord Neuberger in the recusal fiasco (Justice Fraser) should be investigated’ on as many KZbin articles as I could, about ten, but when I checked to see if there was any response I discovered they had all been taken down. This Kafkaesque episode staggers one at every turn, even when Big brother has been outed he seems to be still working away! I really want to know why Lord Neuberger interfered , if the recusal had succeeded the whole noble attempt at taking on the stinking system would have failed.

[@bloosy1771]

​@@AndyCutright I also work in software and these are my thoughts exactly. Post Office should have immediately investigated the software system and held Fujitsu accountable. It seems insane that they felt the need to defend themselves instead of put the blame where it should have lain. I read somewhere that the system went into pilot at a few Post offices and lots of issues were reported but ignored. I couldn't imagine that happening these days, the system just wouldn't get bought.

[@lesley9989]

​@@AndyCutrightI agree. There must be something in relation to money why the PO didn't do exactly has you've said. Go to Fujitsu. Fujitsu which still has loads of Government contracts...

[@JimRoche]

When you say "the Post Office should pay", you really mean the British taxpayer should pay. Meanwhile, all the middle and senior management at the Post Office keep on doing what they've always done and those retired, live happily on their generous pensions.

[@furdiebant]

Jo Hamilton asks a great question - why did Vennells accept the CBE? The answer is is that she thought she got away with it

[@mrade5321]

People like her, Ed Davey, etc not only believe that they deserve these awards, they think it's their god given right. People like that should never be trusted.

[@BillLacy-d5l]

She received the CBE BECAUSE she covered it up, not in spite of it

[@mazybee9149]

I don't know Jo but I really love her, it's terrible what's happened and I understand why you found it difficult to speak out. You are a genuinely lovely person ❤ when you have a whole village behind you, that shows what a remarkable human being you are 😊

[@rimini201]

I know, I'd love to give her a great big hug!

[@murraymint8599]

@@rimini201 me too! ❤🤗

[@davidgay1z]

Here is the thing- apart from all the other aspects of this affair the role of Lord Neuberger in the Recusal seems to have escaped attention. I have therefore pasted the following ‘The role of Lord Neuberger in the recusal fiasco (Justice Fraser) should be investigated’ on as many KZbin articles as I could, about ten, but when I checked to see if there was any response I discovered they had all been taken down including Talktv This Kafkaesque episode staggers one at every turn, even when Big brother has been outed he seems to be still working away! I really want to know why Lord Neuberger interfered , if the recusal had succeeded the whole noble attempt at taking on the stinking system would have failed

[@ryano7220]

Why has it taken a TV drama for people to understand the total injustice of all this? This was reported consistently throughout 2009-2011 and nobody really cared!

[@JossBailey-v5c]

It’s a shame isn’t it, but not every reads the news. Most people like watching a powerful series on TV. I’m just glad that it has been brought into the public’s eye and hopefully this will contribute to the healing of the subpostmasters and their family.

[@fatwalletboy2]

Gov chose to stick their head in the sand...but now a general election looms......its not hard.

[@ContentJapaneseMaples-gk8ji]

As in The Longest Shadow, this series gave viewers the chance to see and get to know the people behind the story. Brilliant series and I am proud that so many people have been made angry and upset at what happened to these individuals.

[@telstar32]

I think that although it was in the news, I think most people really didn’t understand the sheer scale of the cover up.

[@limedickandrew6016]

This was the time just after the financial crisis. At the time, people had had their belly full of 'scandals'.

[@Mil-w6d]

Brave brave Jo ❤. The stress and worry that you and your loved ones must have gone through. I am so angry with this government, and the management of the post office big bosses.

[@samuelcraig]

To think that this has been going on since Tony Blair days is just abhorrent. There should be a public inquiry where MPs and post office management are questioned, an apology issued to all, criminal records expunged and the victims appropriately compensated.

[@lozzieloo5577]

There is a public enquiry. It's on youtube. Paula vennells will be questioned soon.

[@Escapetheratrace-ji6rx]

Abhorrent but not surprising from a war criminal

[@beverleyroberts1025]

Such a lovely lady and the fabulous actress that played Jo. Why is it that lovely people just wanting to make a living and plan their retirement get treated in such an appalling way in this world. The UK justice system and the Post Office should be made to pay for this terrible treatment. They are both archaic establishments! Charles Dicken's was writing about corruption and wrong doings all those years ago. The British justice system and governments have learnt nothing. I think they all need to be fired!! After all, all they do is line their own pockets and let others suffer.

[@dottysez]

Absolutely heartbreaking what they all went through 😢

[@mogadon7]

Government Vs The Public = Government BLAMES The Public ... sounds very like The HILSBOROUGH Scandal !!! Same TECHNIQUES.

[@michaelbruce5415]

Whole thing makes my blood boil. Exemplary damages should be paid to the subpostmasters and criminal proceedings brought against POL managers responsible.

[@auldflyer]

Excellent presentation, so tear worthy...

[@Atom-56]

No matter how much compensation they get, all of it, is too little too late. They lost their livihoods and they can never get that back.

[@tjfSIM]

You're right. There is no amount of money that can make up for what they went through. It will at least help them to move on from it and hopefully enjoy life again without the worry and stress of financial difficulties. The real closure will come when the thugs at the top are brought to account, let's hope that happens before too long.

[@am5783]

@@tjfSIM You're also right! It will hopefully bring some closure as well as helping them move on without the stress of financials. But unfortunately, I highly doubt those at the top will be held accountable, they hardly ever are.

[@audreyoreilly4055]

Monica Dolan was incredible, so so relatable.

[@alexbraun2243]

I thought her acting was absolutely magnificent

[@tjfSIM]

Agreed! 👍

[@AndrewCraner-vb7mm]

How this is still going on is beyond me

[@AndrewCraner-vb7mm]

Paula vennels a women of god 🙏 knew this was going on disgracefull also Fujitsu could change the balance of a postmasters horizon account from there end what really stands out for me is Seema who got sent to prison pregnant had to go to hospital appointments in handcuffs on release had to give birth wearing a electronic tag Paula vennels you knew this was not a safe conviction and knew Seema and others hadn't stolen a penny but still let them go to prison this not action of a women of god this is the actions of a women just out for her own need and greed actions of the devil

[@deananthony1000]

They are all due compensation but in her case what about all the villagers that took time off work to go to court and raided thier bank accounts to put money in the post office safe to keep her out of prison. They are due compensation and thier money back as well !!!!!!

[@jwen9299]

Just shows you the love the villagers had for this honest woman. After watching the drama I watched the BBC iplayer of The Post Office Scandal. Shocking.

[@jwen9299]

@@Blondie96 ❤️ I also live in a small village too with a post office in the village shop. On KZbin you can watch other departments of the PO management tracking their post delivery team's performance. A very interesting watch because they are being questioned by an MP. I think the problem is in all departments.

[@angr3819]

Quite. What happens with those who made false admissions under extreme duress and with lies told to the them? Those who paid the money and didn't go to court?

[@angr3819]

The thing is that UN ordered no more paper from 2025. Finding excuses to abolish the post office will assist in that. The actual criminals in control and their obedient servants should have proceeds of crime upon all they and their families own until honest auditors work out what was right and just for them to be paid. Major shareholders also. Were businesses such as Blackrock and Vanguard invested?

[@Belfastboi]

I like the guy presenter he’s very good

[@gillybean777]

Craig Doyle

[@joelarama]

Jo, lovely lady. Monica Dolan, an incredible actress…oh, and a lovely lady too.

[@fatwalletboy2]

Nice one ladies....fingers crossed now that this is coming to a head finally.....

[@martinefrancesmctiernan7624]

I am still angry and upset especially for those who have suffered both mentally and physically.

[@Jon-hh3gz]

Jo looks like such a lovely lady

[@chrysalis4126]

One of my favourite actresses, she is fabulous.

[@mairiconnell6282]

South Warnborough you are champions who immediately believed in Jo and saw through the darkness ahead. What a great character match. Monica you are an inspiring actor. I felt Jo through your depiction. I hope Jo you find a good nights sleep finally. 💤 This was Corporate torture of the most heinous way. Torture of stress layered upon year after year, month after month and day after day. By all of the family units. Ms Venalls is getting a taste of her own medicine. However, let’s be considerate to her family. Hopefully, all exonerations and compensations are paid quickly and fully. I don’t want filthy Lawyers making merry.

[@spencerhulme1203]

🚩Angela van den Bogerd of the post office group was found by a judge to have misled a court after giving evidence! I hope she get 7 years jail time and a fine she will never recover and all of those responsible who knew about the flaws and prosecuted people regardless need to investigated and the brought to trial🏤

[@juliehubbard158]

Real justice would be those accountable at the top in the dock facing the judge

[@Starbuck251]

I have just read that sub post masters are still having to pay for mystery short falls in the horizon system. Without having any proof, or paper trail this is absolutely crazy

[@ΑντωνηςΜανωλαγκας]

Couldn't stop cry

[@martinhenchcliff4833]

First class interview having these special people talking now knowing all the injustices are out in the open , please good morning Britain ensure all get the money they are owned ,

[@陳雅柔-d5c]

She looks so lovely and genuine. I hope the best of her, such warm lady.

[@DE-xt7jv]

They should not only get the money back, compensation AND their legal fees reimbursed

[@fireflyrobert]

Money back with interest and loss of earnings too!

[@geegee_sw5300]

+ interest

[@bazatc01]

I've never felt so sorry for someone when watching a TV drama as that woman great acting 👏🏻👏🏻

[@Steve-bo6ht]

Such a good kind lady heart breaking to think what she and all the Postmasters went through, every single villain connected to this scandal absolutely needs jail time and not be allowed to get away with what went on.

[@marvinc9994]

Even given such a talented cast, Monica's role was the stand-out for me: an astonishing piece of acting on her part. Hollywood celebs - gimme a break!

[@alansimms2238]

The post office is so poorly run.. I was a manager for 12 years and how the post office just write off millions and millions each year was just unbelievable

[@tinaturner134]

I want to give jo a hug and I want the post office finished for good

[@dogzero1]

Michael Keegan, whose wife Gillian is the Education Secretary, was formerly the UK chief executive and chairman of Fujitsu, whose Horizon IT system was at the heart of the baseless prosecutions of sub-postmasters over two decades. as per daily mail. Can you see how this is all connected and why people are being protected. Corruption all the way.

[@barneyrubble1964]

I'm still staggered that we have an accounting system where the supplier can alter transaction values. In 30 years of developing software, 6 years writing accounting software it was NEVER possible to change a value on a transaction. You basically create another transaction to cancel out the error and everyone knows what happened (including any auditors). Given that changes can be made to the transactions, then none of the accusations that post masters 'stole' money can stand, as the evidence is just simply not safe.

[@dorchester3d]

Blockchain is the way

[@gaz8891]

I think it was Fujitsu who were doing the transaction changes, not the Post Office. I've started reading the final legal judgement on "the Horizon Issues", and it's fascinating (it's on the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance website). Near the end, it says Fujitsu were making 100,000 transaction changes every year to address the numerous bugs in the Horizon System!

[@leonhughes134]

This is unacceptable in every sense. Disband the Post Office now !

[@marvinsymes]

has there ever been such an accurate casting?- they look like mother and daughter in real life!

[@LadyoftheReach]

Jo what a lovely woman you can see she is pure 💔 horrendous this scandal

[@prach6962]

Start a Gandhi like march to parliament starting from Alan Bates from the north with post maters joining and the full support of the general public coming together and STOP the time ”dragging” many more years

[@unita39hse]

Never been so disgusted and enraged watching that tv series and what these dear people were subjected too is horrifying ! A computer glitch !!!! Simply shocking

[@tomjones8715]

Used to use this post office a lot in the naughties. Lovely lady and the village is so much better with no post office.

[@CaroleEvans93436]

Paula Vennell's has returned her CBE

[@lindacraig7486]

Thats the very least. She should be behind bars for the rest of!

[@jeankhan5335]

Tip of the iceberg

[@deananthony1000]

She wouldn’t of accepted it in 1st place if she had a shred of decency. She’s still keeping the bonus she was awarded for “doing a good job and increasing profits” !!!!!!!!! If I was her I’d of jumped on the train tracks in shame by now !!!!!!

[@indiechana9771]

She belongs in prison!

[@juliawilkinson9919]

A tiny bit of the chaos 😧😧😧😓😓😓

[@taffp4360]

Some years ago I got into an argument with a good friend about equality and the political correctness move towards having more women in the board room. With 2 women at the heart of this scandal and with what has happened in recent times at Thames Water and South West Water, my friend may well have a case. However, rewind the clock, and the bank crash of the “Noughties” was generally cause by men. This is not about men and women; this is about competence to do the job and accountability. Clearly these women were incompetent for many reasons but also the Post Office system was at fault without robust balance and checks of their staff. The peeps at the bottom had accountability to make up the loss, but the peeps at the very top of the tree had none. This incompetence could be extrapolated further to our government, who proposed Paula Vennell’s for a CBE in the first place? Knowing full well this disgrace had broken by 2019?

[@marcinsta90s]

Paula Vennells and THE REST belong in prison.

[@louisefun3095]

Paula should at least give her bonuses back as she was and is responsable for the damages

[@karenharvey442]

Regarding the self-regulation of the Post Office changing, there are and have been many lawyers in the House of Commons and House of Lords, how have they never anticipated this day? It harks back to the Financial Services Act but hasn't rolled forward to H.M's services / government organisations? Yes Monica, how the CBE was given to Paula Vennells is COMPLETELY QUESTIONABLE; in my eyes and logic, a hush money pay-off for loyalty.

[@freya7pc]

Kier Starmer was director of public prosecutions (DPP) when postoffice supostmasters were prosecuted and had their assets stolen.

[@davidgay1z]

Here is the thing, apart from all the other aspects of this affair the role of Lord Neuberger in the Recusal seems to have escaped attention. I have therefore pasted the following ‘The role of Lord Neuberger in the recusal fiasco (Justice Fraser) should be investigated’ on as many KZbin articles as I could, about ten, but when I checked to see if there was any response I discovered they had all been taken down. This Kafkaesque episode staggers one at every turn, even when Big brother has been outed he seems to be still working away! I really want to know why Lord Neuberger interfered , if the recusal had succeeded the whole noble attempt at taking on the stinking system would have failed.

[@jamesdavies1179]

I don't understand how it was allowed to get this far. Money is easily traceable It's very very hard to hide money these days unless you have incredibly clever accountants. If these people did steal the money Which they clearly didn't. Why couldn't the post office find where it was spent or put? I honestly don't understand how it got to the point where people were being prosecuted or having to pay the money back. Seems to me the post office didn't even investigate where that money went and just put it straight on the sub. Postmasters. People need to answer for this I've just got wrong to watching it now. It's absolutely shocking.

[@qdis662]

It's cases like this that makes me feel disgusted to be British...

[@arabellamileham9978]

They should NOT call the money owed to the postmasters and mistresses compensation. This was THEIR MONEY, it was theft BY THE POST OFFICE!

[@beatriceowusuachaw6210]

What they went through was no *joke

[@brookeleannekearton1729]

The poor people

[@angr3819]

The thing is that UN ordered no more paper from 2025. Finding excuses to abolish the post office will assist in that. The actual criminals in control and their obedient servants should have proceeds of crime upon all they and their families own until honest auditors work out what was right and just for them to be paid. Major shareholders also. Were businesses such as Blackrock and Vanguard invested?

[@johntindall7611]

This is just cruel and evil, no amount of compensation can make good the trauma caused to these good people. The government knew and let it happen anyway, these are the evil monsters we have put in power. Sadly, later this year we will put another lot of monsters in the parliament because not enough of us can see the evil that comes from these greedy, self serving, anti human monsters, in both major parties.

[@martinnewtonholmes]

R.Sunak wants to pay them off then "This matter is closed"

[@leikfroakies]

Rishi has links to Fujitsu through Infosys as well as having given them billions in public contracts. Me thinks he doesn't want to be investigated about how much he knew

[@martinnewtonholmes]

Exactly right !!. Good old Rishi LOL@@leikfroakies

[@ysthafellgynghori8423]

The Tories are to blame for the Post Office scandal. Sunak must now resign.

[@marvinc9994]

"The Tories are to blame" Oh, 'erewegoagain - it's ALL the Tories' fault. It's the fault of ALL THREE parties! Since _when_ were Ed Davey and Tony Blair Tories, for example? And, presumably, you haven't heard of MPs ANDREW BRIDGEN or JAMES ARBUTHNOT? As I recall, they were both members of the Nasty Party.

[@carolynellis387]

Even with armed robberies, the Post Office expected the Post masters to pay for the losses.. That’s not right to put that in a contract It ought to be recovered from an insurance that the Post Office bears

[@robertlepper5460]

Watched the ITV dramatisation. Still don't fully understand the role of the IT company people They play around with the programme. Are they doing this out of malice or boredom or for financial gain ?

[@deananthony1000]

They trying to fix a faulty system with no regards to the consequences. But before horizon have you ever known a calculator to be wrong?

[@benmarshall4202]

So from what I gather, there were inherent bugs in the program that caused errors to appear on accounts. Fujitsu employed a team of people to spot the errors and manually fix them. This actually worked a majority of the time, but of course like any manual process, things got missed and mistakes got made. Effectively, the errors faced by the sub-postmasters that resulted in the losses were the ones Fujitsu “missed”. The absolute root cause is putting a system live with so many bugs in the first place, but the secondary cause is them trying to hide the issue by manually working it, rather than simply highlighting the errors to be fixed.

[@graceg1030]

The malice was telling sub post masters they were the only one and telling them that the figures could not be changed remotely. So individuals had no way of proving innocence because they and the courts were lied to.

[@katebuckfield7736]

Tony Blair signed off the Horizon programme. He has a great deal to answer for. He certainly did not turn out to be the saint and saviour he pretended to be.

[@joffey1212]

Vennels accepted cbe when she knew that she was complicit, a woman of the cloth ,that some religiuos woman

[@mindfulawareness1]

Religion is needed for morality, some would have you believe.

[@KentDonaldson]

ITV allowing comments now. Well I never.

[@johnwhale8316]

Looking forward to the excess deaths/vaccine docu-drama. Seems to be the only way people stand up and demand answers.

[@MontysKillerRabbit]

What are you talking about lol Stop believing social media. Just cause you're an anti vaxxer, that doesn't mean that every anti vax social media post is true

[@MontysKillerRabbit]

But just for brevity, go on, what do you think is going on with vaccines?

[@TC-qd1zw]

Do the Police have any jurisdiction in a Private Prosecution.

[@russellbradley454]

NO it was a private prosecution brought by the Post Office.

[@TC-qd1zw]

@@russellbradley454 So guess the Crown Prosecution Service can not stop it, but can a citizens, why?

[@adamgregory5274]

Three words... Monica. Dolan. Bafta.

[@mindfulawareness1]

If it were not for the random chance of someone of the character of Alan Bates standing-up, this would probably have gotten nowhere. He should not accept any honor, until Vennels and Co are in the dock. It's a national disgrace and an attack on all of us.

[@martinevans3863]

I have been folliwing this scandal for years. I have read Nick Wallis book. Not one mention of Tony Blair ever signing off Horizon ! To say that was wrong and made up. Horizon was paid for using PFI. Come on ITV, get your facts straight.

[@maroc_403]

FREE FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸 ♥

[@zie9171]

P off

[@sugarkane4830]

From Hamas.

[@angr3819]

Go tell the Rothschilds and other bankers, their royal relatives and politician family members etc.

[@raymonddimech3739]

why? they started it

[@maroc_403]

THIS IS YOUR END EUROPEANS

[@mjc01]

???

[@sugarkane4830]

Keep taking your meds there.

[@MontysKillerRabbit]

Have you taken those meds yet?

[@marvinc9994]

If we managed to survive the Black Death, I rather think we can survive THIS! A little less Hysteria, and a little more Persective on your part would be most welcome, the next time to decide to 'comment' on a serious issue.