POL00294974
POL00294974
)
Letters Pinto
Lost horizons
Sir,
Re Post Office — Computer Says No (In the
Back, Eye 1298)
Thank you for publishing the above article in
your latest issue, I:am one of the unfortunate
people that has been caught up in this and like
others Post Office have ruined mine and my wifes
lives,
This has been going on for 3 years in my case.
As you rightly suggest in your piece Post Office
‘aré not accountable to anyone other than the only
shareholder which is the Government. My current
MP and previous MP both have tried to
investigate this matter but have come up against a
brick wall which is Post Office.
You are treated like rubbish by them. They
answer to no one. So far this has cost me a small
‘fortune but with Shoosmiths help hopefully they
will be bought to book and this will stop the same
thing happening to future subpostmasters and
mistresses,
T know there are others in the same situation
but are too scared to say anything as they are
worried that they will be shut down by Post
Office.
Once again many, many thanks for this
article.
Twill not give my name as Lam one of the
cases that you mention and don't want to
Jeopardise my case without reference to
‘Shoosmiths first.
ANON,
Via email.
Sir;
The Post Office takes meticulous care to
ensure the Horizon computer system in branches
nationwide is fully accurate at all times (Private
Eye, In the Back, 1298). We do this because
public money is entrusted to the Post Office and
our customers and subpostmasters righily
expect the Post Office to fully account for every
penny. We have full confidence in the Horizon
system.
There has been a number of cases involving
a small fraction of the Post Office network
where court action has been taken over missing
sums of public money. The courts have
consistently upheld the Post Office position that
the Horizon system is accurate and reliable.
When former subpostmasters have been
convicted of false accounting and/or theft, itis,
of course, the courts that have convicted, not the
Post Office. In some cases, the subpostmaster
pleaded guilty; in others, the Post Office had to
Provide robust evidence otherwise the cases
‘would have failed.
Yours faithfully,
MIKE YOUNG,
Chief Operating Officer, Post Office.
Via email.
Court out
Sir,
“In The Back” (Eye 1298) featured a story
headed “Computer Says No” and says the Post
Office is the only body to run its own prosecutions
in the UK. Errant nonsense!
Walk into any magistrates court around the
country and you will see prosecutions by The
Environment Agency, Department of Work and
Pensions, Dept. of Business Innovation & Skills to
name but many of the bodies that regularly
prosecute their own cases. Oh ... and HMRC still
do prosecute their own cases.
Yours,
JOHN STORER,
Benington, Boston.
O’Boulez bowled over
Sir,
As one of the “thuggish perpetrators” of the
pro-Palestinian protest at the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra (IPO) Prom on September I (Music
and Musicians, Eye 1298), may I counsel your
sensitive readers against listening to the
rendering of Beethoven's “Ode to Joy” to be
found at hntip://vww youtube.com!
watch?v=5vqEEh-9JP4, as thugeishly performed
during the aforementioned concert.
Trealise of course that such violent behaviour
is unforgivable when compared with the polite
gentility of the Israeli security forces, described in
your Letter from Awarta in the same Eye,
terrorising an entire Palestinian village in their
search for a murder suspect.
Naturally no sane person could suggest that
interfering with the high-minded enjoyment of
concert goers could ever be justified, least of all for
the sake of insinuating that an institution such as
the IPO had any links whatsoever with the cuddly
Israeli state or its lovable army. Those “special
concerts for IDF soldiers at their outposts”
‘mentioned on the IPO website must be a typo.
Yours sincerely,
NAOMI WIMBORNE-IDRISSI,
Thuggish Jewish primary school
teacher, aged 58 and three quarters,
Woodford Green, Essex.
Lookalike
PRIVATE EY
Downtut
Daily Mirror
Sir;
Today's front page of the Daily Mirror (6
October 2011) bears a remarkable resemblance to
the front cover of Private Eye, issue 1275, of 12
November 2010. I think we should be told.
Yours etc,
KIERAN HOLMES,
Via email.
Flak attack
Private Eye
Sir,
Re: Salisbury Review (Letters, Eye 1298).
Poor old Piloti seems to catch flak even when he
gets his facts right. The development of Salisbury
Market Square is definitely NOT supported by the
‘market traders as siated by Richard Walters. A
poll found a large majority against it. Ther
absolutely no grounds to suggest smalll traders
are in favour of it and the Library was only
mentioned as being built elsewhere after some
locals mysteriously seemed to want it kept in its
present central position. And the trees will not be
replaced, as 34 trees are to be taken away and
replaced by 25. This number was increased from
17 after more locals protested. The Save Our
Trees petition has just passed the 10,000 mark.
You can read the full story on www:
saveoursalisburytrees.co.uk.
Yours,
‘MALCOLM WILKINSON,
Via email.
By Tim Gardam
Radio 4's God in China
‘BBC News online
Lookalike
=
Hancock
Sir;
Are they related?. :
PAUL BRIDGE,
Via email.
Strauss-Kahn
Getting the wind up
Sir,
When you refer to fossil fuel energy being
“cheap” (“Keeping the Lights On”, In The
Back, Eye 1298) you seem to be following the
same fallacious thinking as the iultra-short-
termist markets, ignoring the science which
tells us that current prices for carbon-based
fuels utterly fail to price in their genuine costs to
the future of our society. While there may indeed
be those ~ in your words, "vested ‘green’
interests” — who stand to make money from a
move towards renewable energy, they pale into
insignificance in comparison to the ranked
corporate forces whose vested interests are such
that they have invested millions in spreading
mis-founded doubt about the risks of climate
change. I hope that in future you include a
proper assessment of such risks when 4
‘commenting on energy issues,
Apart from that (and your casual racism
10) re women of Asian origin) keep up the good
work!
JULIET MICHAELSON,
London N4,
Sir,
Tenjoyed the item on the shale gas industry in
the back of Eye 1298. Was this what the big
newspapers would flag as an “advertorial”?
However one might classify the article, it is
reassuring to know that the unconfirmed volumes
of gas beneath Lancashire obviate the need to
develop any alternatives to burning fossil fuels
to generate electricity. I was particularly
impressed by the rigorous analysis used in the
piece to debunk the myths surrounding the
‘supposed adverse environmental impacts of
exploiting shale gas.
All in all an authoritative and well balanced
addition 10 the debate on supplying the country’s
future energy needs in a sustainable manner.
Yours faithfully,
DUNCAN TALBERT, I
Via email. '
“This is very strange weather”
POL00294974
POL00294974
Letters I Pinee
Lost horizons
Sir,
Re Post Office — Computer Says No (In the
Back, Eye 1298)
Thank you for publishing the above article in
your latest issue. Iam one of the unfortunate
‘people that has been caughi up in this and like
others Post Office have ruined mine and my wifes
lives.
This has been going on for 3 years in my case.
As you rightly suggest in your piece Post Office
are not accountable to anyone other than the only
shareholder which is the Government. My current
MP and previous MP both have tried to
investigate this matter but have come up against a
brick wall which is Post Office.
You are treated like rubbish by them. They
answer to no one. So far this has cost me a small
fortune but with Shoosmiths help hopefully they
will be bought to book and this will stop the same
thing happening to future subpostmasters and
mistresses,
I know there are others in the same situation
but are too scared to say anything as they are
worried that they will be shut down by Post
Office.
Once again many, many thanks for this
article,
Twill not give my name as Iam one of the
cases that you mention and don't want to.
jeopardise my case without reference to
‘Shoosmiths firs
Via email.
Sir,
The Post Office takes meticulous care to
ensure the Horizon computer system in branches
nationwide is fully accurate at all times (Private
Eye, In the Back, 1298). We do this because
public money is entrusted to the Post Office and
(our customers and subpostmasters rightly
expect the Post Office to fully account for every
penny. We have full confidence in the Horizon
system.
There has been a number of cases involving
small fraction of the Post Office network
where court action has been taken over missing
sums of public money. The courts have
consistently upheld the Post Office position that
the Horizon system is accurate and reliable.
When former subpostmasters have been
convicted of false accounting and/or theft, itis,
of course, the courts that have convicted, not the
Post Office. In some cases, the subpostmaster
pleaded guilty; in others, the Post Office had to
provide robust evidence otherwise the cases
would have failed,
Yours faithfully,
MIKE YOUNG,
Chief Operating Officer, Post Office.
Via email.
Court out
Sir,
“In The Back” (Eye 1298) featured a story
headed “Computer Says No” and says the Post
Office is the only body to run its own prosecutions
in the UK, Errant nonsense!
Walk into any magistrates court around the
country and you will see prosecutions by The
Environment Agency, Department of Work and
Pensions, Dept. of Business Innovation & Skills to
name but many of the bodies that regularly
prosecute their own cases. Oh ... and HMRC still
do prosecute their own cases.
Yours,
JOHN STORER,
Benington, Boston,
O’Boulez bowled over
Sir,
As one of the “thuggish perpetrators” of the
pro-Palestinian protest at the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra (IPO) Prom on September 1 (Music
and Musicians, Eye 1298), may I counsel your
sensitive readers against listening to the
rendering of Beethoven's “Ode to Joy” to be
found at hntip:/Avww: youtube.com!
watch?v=SvgEEh-9JP4, as thuggishly performed
icing the qhorenentioned cone.
Trealise of course that such violent behaviour
is unforgivable when compared with the polite
gentility of the Israeli security forces, described in
your Letter from Awarta in the same Eye,
terrorising an entire Palestinian village in their
search for a murder suspect.
Naturally no sane person could suggest that
interfering with the high-minded enjoyment af
concert goers could ever be justified, least of all for
the sake of insinuating that an institution such as
the IPO had any links whatsoever with the cuddly
Israeli state or its lovable army. Those “special
concerts for IDF soldiers at their outposts”
mentioned on the IPO website must be a typo.
Yours sincerely,
NAOMI WIMBORNE-IDRISSI,
Thuggish Jewish primary school
teacher, aged 58 and three quarters,
Woodford Green, Essex.
Lookalike
Daily Mirror
Sir,
Today's front page of the Daily Mirror (6
October 2011) bears a remarkable resemblance to
the front cover of Private Eye, issue 1275, of 12
November 2010. I think we should be told.
Yours etc,
KIERAN HOLMES,
Via email.
Flak attack
Sir,
Re: Salisbury Review (Letters, Eye 1298).
Poor old Piloti seems to catch flak even when he
gets his facts right. The development of Salisbury
Market Square is definitely NOT supported by the
‘market traders as siated by Richard Walters. A
poll found a large majority against it. There is
absolutely no grounds to suggest small traders
are in favour of it and the Library was only
mentioned as being built elsewhere after some
locals mysteriously seemed to want it kept in its
present central position. And the trees will not be
replaced, as 34 trees are to be taken away and
replaced by 25. This number was increased from
17 after more locals protested. The Save Our
Trees petition has just passed the 10,000 mark.
You can read the full story on www:
saveoursalisburytrees.co.uk.
Private Eye
Yours,
MALCOLM WILKINSON,
Via email.
By Tim Gardam
Radio 4's God in China
BBC News online
Lookalike
Hancock ‘Strauss-Kahn
Sir,
Are they related?.
PAUL BRIDGE,
Via email.
Getting the wind up
Sir,
When you refer to fossil fuel energy being
“cheap” (“Keeping the Lights On”, In The
Back, Eye 1298) you seem to be following the
same fallacious thinking as the iultra-short-
termist markets, ignoring the science which
tells us that current prices for carbon-based
fuels utterly fail to price in their genuine costs to
the future of our society. While there may indeed
be those — in your words, “vested ‘green’
interests” ~ who stand to make money from a
move towards renewable energy, they pale into
insignificance in comparison to the ranked
corporate forces whose vested interests are such
that they have invested millions in spreading
mis-founded doubt about the risks of climate
change. I hope that in future you include a
proper assessment of such risks when
commenting on energy issues.
Apart from that (and your casual racism
towards women of Asian origin) keep up the good
work!
JULIET MICHAELSON,
London NA,
Sir,
Lenjoyed the item on the shale gas industry in
the back of Eye 1298. Was this what the big
newspapers would flag as an “advertorial”?
However one might classify the article, it is
reassuring to know that the unconfirmed volumes
of gas beneath Lancashire obviate the need 10
develop any alternatives to burning fossil fuels
to generate electricity. I was particularly
impressed by the rigorous analysis used in the
piece to debunk the myths surrounding the
supposed adverse environmental impacts of
exploiting shale gas.
All in all an authoritative and well balanced
addition to the debate on supplying the country’s
future energy needs in a sustainable manner.
Yours faithfully,
DUNCAN TALBERT,
Via email.
“This is very strange weather”