Why the entire United Kingdom should vote for the former Subpostmasters to win Britains Got Talent!

The former Subpostermasters Choir, all victims of the Horizon Post Office Scandal

Most people reading this will by now have heard of the Horizon Post Office Scandal - where a number of Subpostmasters (owners of Post Offices) were wrongly prosecuted because bugs in the Horizon computer system made it appear as though money was missing, creating phantom shortfalls in branches (sometimes for sums of several thousand pounds) which the Subpostmasters were legally liable for due to their draconian contracts. Worse still, many people working both at Fujitsu (who created and updated the Horizon software) and at Post Office Limited, knew the system was faulty and they knew the ongoing prosecutions were unsafe. The Post Office Security investigation teams were financially incentivised to find the Subpostmasters guilty. Now Britains Got Talent (BGT) is known for not involving itself in social politics, however songs have by their very nature often carried the messages of social causes. U2 with Sunday, Bloody Sunday, took on the 1972 Derry catastrophe in Northern Ireland, Band Aid raised millions to feed the hungry, Genesis took on corrupt American preachers with Jesus he Knows, and war mongering politicians with A Land of Confusion. Now several victims of the Post Office Scandal have stepped up to the plate to form a choir and entered Britains Got Talent. They were inspired partly to give their cause further exposure, for their quest for justice is far from over, and for many it is also a positive step towards healing the deep wounds caused by their treatment by the very institution that should have protected them.

What makes this scandal so unique, and more far relatable to the general public on a national scale to many of those which have come before it (Marchioness, Hillsborough, Victoria Climbie, Piper Alpha to name but a few...) is that everyone in the country has been into a Post Office, everyone knows their value, everyone knows how hard the owners work, we all know the long hours they work to make their premises a vital hub of the community. Unlike other scandals of the past this one impacts the entire nation, for this scandal is at the root of so many things that are wrong with the way we treat those who work so hard in today's society. This is one time when those responsible MUST be held accountable. Otherwise the Government, our country, is basically the law only applies to the hardworking and down trodden, it does not apply to the self entitled upper middle classes with their well paid jobs and country houses in Bedfordshire.

I've watched every day of the public inquiry (and attended it in person many times) having made copious notes on who knew what and when. It is perfectly evident that a great many people knew what was happening, and that innocent people were still being prosecuted, still being bankrupted and in some cases, going to prisonm when they knew. Others died, some from poor health directly caused from the stress and impact of the scandal on their lives, while several others, unable to prove their innocence, financially decimated and ashamed, took their own lives. Even worse than several people across the board at Post Office Limited knowing what was happening, was the fact that not only did they do NOTHING to address it, but many colluded in a deliberate cover up and destruction of evidence.

So that brings us to Britains Got Talent. You see here, we the public have a chance to voice our displeasure directly at the way the Government has handled this horrendous injustice. A vote for the former Subpostmasters, doesn't just say you want them to win, it doesn't just say their talented (which they are) , more importantly it says you - the British people are behind them, you the British people will not stand for the way they have been treated, you the British people want to see them all properly compensated, and you the British people will demand equal justice for those who knew and tried to cover up the scandal, we are making it clear they must see the inside of a court room. The former Subpostmasters were prosecuted for far less evidence. Those responsible for this travesty must see the inside of courtroom and many should see the inside of a prison. This isn't just a vote for a group of talented, passionate, singers (and they are all those things) this is a vote for justice, this is a vote that says - WE, THE BRITISH PEOPLE ARE BEHIND YOU, AND WE WILL REMAIN WITH YOU UNTIL YOU GET THE JUSTICE & THE COMPENSATION IN FULL THAT YOU DESERVE! - Never before has it been so important for one group of contestants to win. Please help them achieve this goal. They have more than earned it. And it takes a special kind of talent to go through everything they have faced and stand on a stage and sing, sing knowing all the pain that they have endured. A win will mean so much to them, more than any contestant on the history of the show, so come on - lets give it to them!

The author of this blog, with several of the victims of the scandal and some of the cast from the 2022 production of False Accounts - the Subpostmasters were called onto stage to take the final bow of the evening

On a personal note, before the ITV drama gave the story of the scandal national exposure I made my own contribution to this story, but writing, directing and staging the very first dramatic narrative about the scandal in 2022 with the stage play - FALSE ACCOUNTS - EXPOSING THE POST OFFICE COVER UP.

The play has been staged four times (North, South & West London & Birmingham) and is to be staged again in Birmingham once again for just four performances in collaboration with the wonderful RED LENS Theatre company at the end of June and early July. (details on the poster above) The play covers the entire scandal from the start to finish from the both the perspective of the Subpostmasters and the members of Operation Sparrow, the secret sub committee set up within Post Office Limited, with the main objective of stalling the Subpostmasters campaign for justice. I will be attending the performance on the 5th of July for the Q and A, and I hope to see you there. Now please do VOTE on Saturday and lets make them the winners on Britains Got Talent.