One of the interesting sidebars to the horrendous Post Office saga is the fact it that took a TV drama fully to engage the interest of the political classes.

This despite a book and radio documentary series by Nick Wallis, who laid bare everything covered in Mr Bates vs The Post Office, and much more besides. Not even to mention an inquiry that began in 2021 and which found much that was scandalous.

That inquiry is one which attracted rather less media attention than the Covid variety since it didn’t boast the same high profile cast list.

However nothing, it seems, beats a prime time TV drama, most especially in an election year, to grab and hold the attention of sundry politicians.

One of the reasons for the lack of previous finger pointing is that these fingers belong to hands which are not exactly clean.

There have been calls for former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE over the Horizon scandal that was laid bare in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office (Image: PA)

There have been calls for former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE over the Horizon scandal that was laid bare in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office (Image: PA)

 

This particular horror story spans three separate UK administrations: one New Labour, one Tory Lib Dem coalition, and one Conservative.

Members of all three parties have suddenly become massively contrite and are queuing round the block to say how appalling it all was.

Aye, right, chaps. But it’s been appalling for some two decades. Years these wronged folk can never get back. Years which saw innocent people jailed, pillars of their communities facing reputational ruin, and a stumbling compensation scheme which is still faffing about whilst some of the victims have already shed their mortal coil.

Now, more than a little belatedly, all manner of schemes are suddenly being proposed – schemes which purport to right these many wrongs, but are, in truth, a means of trying to cover a host of parliamentary backsides.

Let’s just hope that this time the compensation not only arrives expeditiously, but that it takes into account the massive sums some postmasters and mistresses had to find from their own meagre funds, having been told they were contractually obliged to do so.

Savings were raided, homes were sold, lives were comprehensively ruined. It’s difficult to put a price on all of that.

I’m delighted the erstwhile Post Office CEO has handed back her gong. But she’s one villain among many.