Post Office Scandal

Unless you have been holidaying on Mars recently you will have noticed the growing scandal that is the Post Office. The corruption, dishonesty, and resultant false prosecution of over 900 of the Small Business Community (“SBC”) employed as Sub postmasters is abhorrent. Who knew that a public enquiry would be so enthralling?; closely followed of course by the joy of speculating just how the professionals that acted to deceive the various Courts are to be punished.

I have long been attempting to shine a light on the disdain that significant areas of the Government show to the SBC. My success rated similarly to those involved historically with: Mr Bates v Post Office; Readers will recall that scandal; it had been twenty years in the making before a TV drama managed to cut through. How did this TV programme manage this? 

Having re-read responses to my previous posts, I know the answer. 

The Populus, I fear, view the SBC as being part of the “haves” of our society. There is an element of envy, but SBC’s have opportunity and money; it is only right that they respect us and our State, pay the correct amount of tax and comply with the various health and safety legislation. So, when the Government, through its agents, puts an SBC owner through the mill, the presumption is: “That is not me, they are clearly wealthy, and they are doing something wrong. They deserve what they get.” 

Sub-postmasters have never been viewed in the same light: It seems accepted that hard-earned savings or limited inheritances were used as a source of funds that supported the purchase of a fundamental requirement of a community. These SBCs were not “from money” but essentially “one of us”. That one of us has stolen from us explains, I think, the aggression metered out towards sub-postmasters convicted of stealing from the public purse from the community they previously served. 

However, when we unwrap the sheer level of depravity which represents the behaviour of Post Office Officials and their legal representatives, the sympathy levels towards the same SBCs in the community skyrocket. “That could be me; How would I cope?”

We still have so far for this story to run. Compensation needs to be received, bankruptcies need to be resolved and criminal records need to be expunged. And, then we get to punishing the architects of this scandal and their grey “yes-folk” who went along with the strategy.  

I hope that our politicians recognise the distressing treatment suffered by Small Business Owners (SBCs) at the hands of governmental entities like the Post Office, understanding that similar issues may persist across other governmental domains, including our friends at HMRC. A brief ten-minute online search of IR35 and its outcomes will illustrate just how individuals are prosecuted by the state “because they are believed to be easy, and they can.”

And this week we understand that another set of government employees, this time in the Insolvency Service, are deemed guilty of providing information for a benefit. For the uninitiated, this is better known as “bribery”. More information can be found at:  https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/official-receiver-staff-sacked-over-sharing-case-data/

It would be highly beneficial if we could establish government branches dedicated to serving Small Business Owners (SBCs), who epitomise the core values of our society and contribute to the welfare of the general taxpayer. This approach should prioritise supporting SBCs rather than creating bureaucratic hurdles that often hinder the Small Business Community's growth.

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