“Only when everyone’s paid will I shut up”

As a hardworking subpostmaster who has been through the Post Office scandal, I can tell you that it’s been quite a rollercoaster ride. I’ve sat through countless hours of house-cleaning, but it seems like a walk in the park compared to what I’ve endured.

Add Mr Bates vs the Post Office: the Impact to your watchlist.

It appears that Sir Keir Starmer has sent an email on 5 July, a message from a Mrs Jo Hamilton of Hampshire, expressing concerns about previous governments to discuss the compensation claims of the current state, including many hundreds of Post Office contractors who are experiencing various combinations of imprisonment, disgrace, bankruptcy or mental destruction because of a faulty IT system that is suggesting they may be in a precarious situation.

It seems that Gareth Thomas, the junior minister in the Business and Trade department with Post Office responsibility, did not receive a reply from the Prime Minister: “But, to be fair, he’s been very busy.” There was, though, a rapid invitation to meet Gareth Thomas, the junior minister in the Business and Trade department with Post Office responsibility.

It appears that you’re attempting to communicate in a style reminiscent of the 18th century, using the common parlance of the time. “So it seems I met him, but then got sent the usual bollocks from civil servants. ‘It’s not our fault. It’s your lawyers and so on…”

Highlighting her persistence as a campaigner – a reference made in Mr Bates vs The Post Office: an ITV1 follow-up documentary – Hamilton also reached out to Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who she had met when he was a Labour member of the committee investigating the scandal.

“Only when everyone’s paid will I shut up”

In simpler terms, “We had a decent rapport at the committee meeting in the past. He also emailed me from his personal account, bypassing his bureaucrats. This gives me direct contact with him. He promised that the minister of business is taking care of it. So, we can only cross our fingers and hope for the best.”

In North East Hampshire, a woman named Hamilton, who was wrongfully accused of stealing £36,000, is considered a “superhero” by Lord (James) Arbuthnot and Alex Jennings during the drama. Arbuthnot later retired, only for his Tory successor, Ranil Jayawardena, to be deemed unsatisfactory. When Hamilton announced her intention to run for Parliament against him, Jayawardena responded, “Please don’t!”

Initially, Jayawardena was defeated by Liberal Democrat candidate Alex Brewer in July. Hamilton later admitted they had a disagreement. When Brewer arrived, he hid from her. Later, she proposed a meeting on October 2nd. Hamilton then responded, “Since this matter is so urgent, I am now working with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and directly with the minister.” Brewer’s response was, “I’m glad you are dealing with the people who truly hold power.” (Stick that up your pipe!)

As a movie enthusiast, I’d put it like this: “Ever since the airing of ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’, I can’t help but feel a sense of empowerment, especially with Hamilton and Sir Alan Bates – portrayed by Toby Jones in the drama, who led the Group Litigation Order of 555 Post Office claimants. It’s like finally being heard after all these years. There was a time when our voices echoed through empty halls, unheard even in Parliament. But now, it seems they’re afraid of us. Of course, there’s still the usual political games being played, but at least we’ve managed to put ourselves on their radar.”

Moments prior to our conversation, Hamilton got a picture from Dolan, showing the actor being honored for his impression of her. She’s both thrilled and bewildered by the dramatic shift in her life that occurred around early January this year, when Mr Bates vs the Post Office was broadcast. “My phone began buzzing intensely as soon as the first episode aired, and it didn’t stop after that.”

At night I lie there thinking: why can’t you just pay people?

Sir Alan is currently negotiating his personal financial agreement, much like several others, while Hamilton has already reached an agreement. The specific amount involved remains private, but my legal representative requested a number that I desired, and we were nearly £20,000 close to that figure.

After receiving those terms, she may be questioning whether she now regrets settling because her husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He continued to work as a gardener five days a week despite being 75 years old. Meanwhile, I had cleaning jobs across five days, which made us feel like hamsters in a wheel. The generous terms allowed us to pay off our mortgage and afford to let him retire. We don’t have vast savings in the bank, but owning a house gives us an opportunity to downsize when we choose to.

Despite the fact that it’s hard to accept, she persists in advocating for those yet to receive compensation. She exclaimed to the minister a few weeks ago: “A 91-year-old is still waiting for her due compensation! How audacious of them! I asked if someone could just pay her without further delay. Don’t shortchange her. Just give her the money. They keep telling us that they need to watch over the public funds. But they’re spending more on lawyers than what they’re offering us. So who’s actually squandering the public resources?”

When I presented Hamilton’s grievances to the Department of Business and Trade, they acknowledged the immense hardships endured by postmasters and admitted that they took too long to provide resolution. To alleviate their suffering, they are tirelessly working within government to bring them prompt, fair, and immediate relief. So far, more than £260 million has been distributed to over 2,800 individuals across three redress programs. Additionally, 227 GLO offers have been made and a new compensation scheme was introduced to expedite resolution for those with overturned convictions.

Hamilton spends approximately ten hours weekly on house cleaning, yet she finds time to participate in the ongoing public inquiry into the Post Office scandal. This inquiry is entering its seventh and final phase this month. She has attended it frequently, taking a deliberate seat in direct view of key witnesses like former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells, ex-business improvement director Angela van den Bogerd, and another previous Post Office CEO, Dame Moya Greene.

Is Hamilton upset by the inquiry? “It only makes me more angry. I savored the moment as Jason [Beer, KC, the victims’ counsel] read out their offensive remarks about me. Paula Vennells wrote that I ‘lacked passion,’ and she was ‘more bored than outraged’ by the story. I sat there, stone-faced but relishing every second. I was seated just a few feet from her as she kept saying she was sorry. As others did the same. And Jason said: ‘Well, you’re all sorry now that it’s all up on a screen in front of you!'”

I promised my mum and dad as they were dying that I would never give up

For twenty-one years now, I’ve watched as doubts were cast upon the reliability of Horizon IT system. When our campaign was mostly overlooked by the public and yielded no immediate success, both the Post Office and government harbored hope that the subpostmasters would eventually abandon their efforts. However, the evidence presented to the inquiry seems to strongly indicate otherwise.

It appears that the speaker is recounting a series of events, expressing emotions, and using colloquial language to convey a sense of anger or surprise, along with promises made to loved ones such as parents and other significant figures. The text, “Yes,” agrees Hamilton, “But I couldn’t,” expresses frustration, and uses colloquial language to communicate a sense of anger or surprise, concurrently with promises made to cherished ones like parents and other important figures. This text is part of the ITV1 documentary, furthering victims who have faced challenges since the drama.

“I’m part of two large WhatsApp support groups filled with people who’ve faced tough times, but I usually prefer to listen more than actively participate. I do toss in the occasional uplifting comment though. Some folks have been through some serious struggles. Incredibly, my community rallied around me when I needed it most, as they couldn’t fathom what had transpired. Sir Alan, however, isn’t active on our WhatsApp groups; instead, he confides in me privately.”

In more simplified terms, the question could be rephrased as: “After encountering Sir Alan, is there a chance Lady Jo will appear? I’ve irritated them so much that they might never give me such an honor. However, if an Original Broadcast Announcement like the one Sir Alan originally turned down were to come my way, I wouldn’t refuse it.”

It appears that we’re experiencing a series of events revolving around the concept of paraphrasing in natural and easy to read language: Some who suffer upsetting events revisit them in sleepless nights. Does she? “I don’t have nightmares. I’ve dealt with it and it’s made me a much stronger person. I’m not scared of anything or anyone. If you said to me now, ‘The King wants to see you,’ I’d just go to see him.

“But I struggle to get to sleep some nights because I lie there thinking: ‘Oh, for God’s sake, why can’t you just pay people?’ Hubby goes off to bed and my mind starts whirring with who I can write to next. So I’m campaigning in my head, as it were. But it’s not for my trauma, it’s other people’s. The only thing I’m still heartbroken about is that my mum and dad didn’t live to see me get my conviction quashed. But that’s the way it is.

Once everyone among the initial 555 individuals who were compensated has received their payment, I’ll consider my task completed and choose to cease communication, subsequently departing.

2024-09-03 19:37

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