The Post Office Scandal

It is astonishing, as Gaby Hinsliff writes in today’s Guardian, that it takes a play to make people notice the Post Office scandal. Yesterday I sent a poem about it to Culture Matters, and they posted it; but I sent the same poem to them two years ago, and it sank without trace. The facts, and the outrage, have been clear for years, so what does it take to actually change things?

More than you’d think. A few years ago, you’d have said that the Williams report was the solution to the scandal of Windrush. A detailed tough analysis of what went wrong, with clearly defined solutions as to how to put that right. Priti Patel accepted those conclusions in full.

But now, does anyone remember what they were? Suella Braverman wasn’t impressed, dismissed Williams as “not set in stone”, and cancelled some of the work it had begun. Sunak didn’t seem to mind. Labour didn’t seem to notice. Our fearless independent media somehow found other topics far more interesting. The Amnesia industry is alive and well.