Monthly Archives: January 2024

If you could un-invent something, what would it be?

A wholly Government owned Institution,The Post Office, with an honourable history of serving the UK public since it was established in 1606 (as the GeneralPost Office) has been brought to it’s knees, by a scandal of unprecedented proportions.

A Computer System , called “Horizon” developed by a Japanese company called Fujistsu for Post Office Counters is the precursor of this tragedy.

The Fujitsu developers invented a system, which, should ,have , on paper, been very robust. This , after all , was a well established business. Post Office services and processes surely could be well mapped out by the people responsible in the Post Office. Britain was known as a Nation of Shopkeepers, wasn’t it?

Post Office Counters basically were privately owned Retail outlets offering Postal Services at a local level run by self-employed men and women,some of whom had previously worked as valued employees of the Post Office in their careers,so were well placed to continue this service albeit in as independent business people.

A lot of the Post Office Counters Sub-postmasters and postmistress’s were indeed good at paper systems and keeping accounts.

The part I would want to univent is the fact that the Horizon system that the Post Office and Fujitsu foisted on those respectable and hard-working people was seriously flawed.

The Horizon system was not fit for purpose and should have been rejected by the Post Office Executives that signed it off. I wish it had never been invented because of the human suffering it caused.

It was so flawed,that, Fujitsu had a need to manually adjust figures without the knowledge or traceability of those running those small businesses.

These alterations went on from the introduction of Horizon in 1999 until 2015,when the Post Office stopped prosecuting in Court ,using evidence from the Horizon system as proof of fraud.

Until 2015, the Post Office denied that any alterations could be made without the sub-postmasters/postmistress knowledge.

Innocent men and women ended up in jail,many lost their livelihoods and their standing in the community.Whole families suffered from the trauma of being accused of something that in some instances they did not understand or could not account for. For some ,the trauma was so overwhelming that they took their own lives.For many, they have never been exonerated or compensated for lost money they were held accountable for because of contracts they had signed.

The Post Office and Fujitsu are now subject to an investigation ,which many think has gone on too long. The only people who have won so far are the No win, no fee lawyers who took up the case.

I just wish someone had listened and tested the system and paid attention to those who said it was not fit for purpose.

The loss and suffering it caused and the despicable behaviour that it led to by those in the Post Office that hounded and actually took money from people under false pretences (protecting the brand it was called) was shameful.

I really wish I could univent Fujitsu’s Horizon,not only did it harm people, but it brought out the worst in people.

Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?

It seems a long time ago,far away in a distant past.I really can’t remember the detail.It was a Christmas visit up to Scotland, which we refuse to do now,because it is a bad time of year to travel and it’s a long arduous journey.Anyway aren’t we supposed to be saving the planet?

Whatever,but in that distant past, it was taken for granted by my late mum that the visit would be made.

One year ,my brother suggested I came to him and his wife for Christmas ,I can’t remember why. I would have liked to,but my mum said absolutely not,that what was I trying to do,shame her? Jeez mum,no,it really was that Christmas wasn’t much fun in your house, and it would have been nice to share time with my brother.Oh well.

My mum used to live on the coast, and unexpectedly ,on one visit , a tonne of snow fell on us over the week or so we were there

. That much snow in a coastal town was totally unexpected.It was unfortunate that the next day we were journeying back,in what would be pretty hazardous road conditions. My mum worried terribly about that.

I suppose the visits up there were always a bit tense. My partner, in crime, and I would go out for long walks and drives if the atmosphere got a bit tense.

One instance, though ,which washes away all the pain I felt during those Christmas holiday visits, sticks in my mind. We, for some reason, were giving each other our presents at the dining table,my sister’s idea ,I think.

I opened my present from my partner, it was a proper “Painting Set” with an inbuilt easel,oils,pastels and watercolours.It was absolutely amazing and so surprising.I burst into tears.

Seeing me cry really took my mum and my sister by suprise.I was so happy,I didn’t even realise my partner knew I liked to paint.

I think we all enjoyed the moment,it brought us all closer together. It broke down barriers that had formed ,and I felt amazingly loved and understood.

Again,I’m a bit hazy on the timeline, (the snow and the painting set may not be linked), but I have a video of the four of us gazing out the bay window of my mum and sisters house looking at the snow falling. My mum’s voice is on it.It’s very peaceful.

The video always makes me think of that moment with the “painting set” and makes me realise they were actually really very good times,and we were fortunate to have them.

Where can you reduce clutter in your life?

I have a Sin Bin to reduce all kinds of clutter in my life. As the great interior designer and artist William Morris said

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” 

It’s a good place to start.

My Sin Bin helps as it is in my mind as well as being a real object (ie a bin)

Perhaps you aren’t quite ready to go to the waste recycling depot or indeed upscale whatever is cluttering up your life.File it away in the sin bin of your mind and just like your spam folder in your e.mail it will be emptied one day.

Do not panic.

What is your favorite animal?

Animilia is the biological kingdom of animals.

I could be sentimental and choose my little dog as my favourite animal. However, all the residents of the Amimalia Kingdom are my favourites as without them, our planet would not be so miraculous.

There are approximately 80 billion humans on Earth, and there are at least 2.6 million species of animalia that have so far being identified.

Animalia have a variety and wonder much greater than humans .Humans since their movement out of the Animalia Kingdom have proven their ability to destroy and vilify this Earth in their endless pursuit of winning,be it land ;control; or just for the pure hell of it.

My hope is Animalia continues to survive and thrive. Long Live Animalia!

In what ways do you communicate online?

For my phone and notebook , I use my right finger on a touch screen. For my laptop , I use all ten fingers.Therefore I’m totally digital!

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

Some years ago,my partner in crime and I were up in Scotland visiting relatives.We had some free time.We had always dreamed of taking an Island Hopping Trip using the famous Caledonian Mac Brayne Ferry Company.

It turned out to be the ultimate day trip.At that time ,driving a car was not seen as a crime against humanity, and it was within most people’s budget to afford such a trip.Mind you it was my little Audi A2 which was very fuel efficient.

We started from the ferry port of Adrossan and took the first of our five car ferry journeys over to my favourite island in the World Arran(Scotland in miniature).

Next, we drove halfway around Arran to Lochranza and caught the ferry over to the Kintyre Peninsula.This was where it all got very exciting,the countryside was beautiful,but we whizzed by as we had a ferry to catch at Tarbet where we planned also to have some lunch.

After lunch I insisted on doing some shopping which consisted of buying some excessively sweet Scottish tablet(like hard fudge) and two ice creams to have on the ferry which we were assured was just down the road.

Balancing the two ice creams in my hand as we whizzed down the road to catch the ferry to Portavadie and the Cowal Peninsula,we just managed to catch the ferry and get across.

We enjoyed the scenery of the Cowal Peninsula,but it seemed to go on forever, and we were giving up any hope of getting to the next ferry on time.My partner in crime ,by that time was driving like a maniac as we would if we made it be catching the last ferry to Bute.

It was close ,but again,we made it.We crossed the water and were able to wander around Rothesay for a while before taking our final ferry back to Wemys Bay.

It was a lovely day,very exciting and very beautiful.