Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Real Story (2024) Poster

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9/10
Profound Miscarriage Of Justice
A good documentary to accompany the ITV docudrama on the astonishing Post Office Horizon system scandal, which was somehow allowed to go on for such a long time to the detriment of hundreds of innocent people's lives and livelihoods who were left criminalised of theft due to a faulty IT system.

Although the documentary's limited available time could only touch on only a few of the sorry cases, it is an eye opener nonetheless, and helped to put some of the real victims faces in the context of this cruel miscarriage of justice story.

A fair question. Where was the the union that was supposed to be there from the start of this scandal to support the poor people members that were criminalised or sent to prison for nothing? Where?

It remains to see if anyones involved in the "cover up" are going to be held accountable for their roles, as renewed calls for justice on the case are being made for an appropriate and rightful closure. Perhaps, the time has come to even start considering dismantling the post office organisation in its present form and start again with something anew.

Finally, I'd like to close with the epilogue paragraph of an excellent article by Marina Hyde, a Guardian columnist.

".... I will say the Post Office scandal has hundreds of human tragedies at its heart - but it is not a natural disaster. These types of victims exist because there are perpetrators, and unless those involved are held to account, we will continue to present as a society with one rule and endless get-outs for executives, and quite another for the little people. The inquiry continues. The story continues. Stay angry, and keep watching."
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9/10
A real scandal
paul2001sw-113 January 2024
Toby Jones, star of docu-drama 'Mr. Bates versus the Post Office', here narrates a pure documentary about the Horizon affair, in which ordinary postmasters were prosecuted as theives for accounting errors caused by the software they were made to use. Basically, if you've seen the drama, this programme basically just demonstrates that it's a very thin fictionalisation: almost everything in the series actually happened. What's still missing (aside from full absolution and compensation for the victims) is an understanding of who knew what when; the later Post Office leadership showed at best catastrophically poor judgement, but it would be good to know who made decisions to lie (which led to the ongoing ruin of people's lives). More worrying even than the failure of the computer system is the complete rottenness of organisational culture. The whole sorry tale has finally caught light with the public, and it's not hard to see why.
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7/10
Justice triumphs! For a change...
imseeg5 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I stumbled upon this documentary, not quite well understanding what it was all about, but I got hooked when I realised that hundreds of Brits got scammed financially in a terrible way, because of some (supposedly) bulletproof computersystem The Postoffice uses in Britain.

Not being British myself I didnt quite understand at first that The Postoffice is an institute in Britain, that is looked upon as solid and trustworthy. Well, NO LONGER...

What happened was that at a specifically shady central computer system lots of money got stolen and consequently ordinary hard working totally INNOCENT postoffice employees were being accused of grand scale theft! What the what!

Quite shocking to watch how the system can crush ordinary people, but in this case those victims fought back and finally WON! Although still not every body who was accused wrongly has been compensated. Such a shame!
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10/10
So Tough to Watch
jhconway-957937 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I thought I knew and understood this story but realised I didn't really understand and feel its impact on those involved until I watched the 4 part series, which I heartily recommend be added to the school curriculum; it's a very clear case of how an abuse of power works and people need to understand and recognise it. I've only just learnt of the story being told in this documentary and, impossible as it might seem, its 10x more powerful coming out of the mouths of those actually affected/impacted by the truly dreadful acts of a "squeaky clean" Post Office snr management team. I challenge any watcher not to be moved by the unfolding story and truly wish the likes of Paula Vennells CBE be forced to watch this documentary every day for the rest of their lives. The hollow apologies and proclamations of the need to seek justice just make my blood boil and it's hard not to come to your own conclusion of what's been going on for too long and, I fully expect, the court of public opinion has come to its verdict? To think that Vennells used to stand in a church pulpit and preach morality and ethics but has the bare faced cheek to claim she's not committed a criminal offence, thereby gaslighting her sacred oath IMHO. The process to right the wrongs needs accelerating, turbo boosting. Some PO management need to go to jail #fingerscrossed but I'm not holding my breath. What I would support is an act of public recognition, whereby Vennells has her honour stripped and the very honourable Mr Bates be knighted and each and every wronged subpostmaster receive an OBE. These are the people who act with honour in our society.
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9/10
A Must Watch!
fitzmauriceruth10 January 2024
My eyes were opened by this. I'd never heard anything about it. This is a very clear case of a large corporate taking advantage of the little man. It's also a very clear case of the power of the little man and all of his friends, and the power of people when they come together against bullies. In my opinion this is a must watch!

My eyes were opened by this. I'd never heard anything about it. This is a very clear case of a large corporate taking advantage of the little man. It's also a very clear case of the power of the little man and all of his friends, and the power of people when they come together against bullies. In my opinion this is a must watch!
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