The Post Office scandal which devastated the lives of hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses has revealed quite a lot about the way the establishment operates. Paula Vennells, the former Post Office boss who presided over the miscarriage of justice, has handed back her CBE. It leaves unanswered the question of why she got it in the first place — not only on account of the Horizon IT scandal but the continuing demoralisation of a once great institution on her watch.
Campaigners’ attention has now shifted to the £3 million in performance-related bonuses she received for her work. What performance did it reward? As well as the hounding of the sub-postmasters, plainly customer satisfaction did not enter the equation. The fact that this unimpressive woman could gain as a matter of routine bonuses and honours which she did not merit says an awful lot about our corporate culture. She should already have handed back those bonuses and much of her excessive pay to the compensation scheme for the victims — and since she lacks that decency, should be obliged to do so now.
