Dear LPG,

I am not an avid evening television watcher, but occasionally, something catches my eye, and I get pulled in.  At the beginning of 2024, it was a four–part drama about the more than 20-year ordeal that far too many sub-post masters were put through by their bosses’ introduction of a computer which, with the help of its manufacturers, managed to show each of them to have stolen or lost thousands of pounds that they had to pay back.   These people lost their jobs, their social standing and their credibility.  Many had to sell their houses, while some went to prison, admitted to theft, and even committed suicide.  I remember hearing a little about the story during news broadcasts, but the drama brought home the anguish those people had to suffer.

The underlying message that came across to me is that when they contacted the post office to report the initial discrepancies, each person was told they were the only ones experiencing the problem and believed it.   That might have ended the story had it not been for just one who disputed what the organisation told him.

It brought home to me that there is very little that anyone can face which has not been faced before.  I have never experienced anything as soul-destroying as that, but we nearly all find ourselves suffering bouts of injustice occasionally.    As a consumer, there will be the item you brought home only to discover it unfit for purpose, especially now that so many things are bought online.  There are health injustices, the many wrongs that the drivers of this world will experience, and so many others.

If you feel hard done-by by any organisation, whether private enterprise or the establishment, do not just take it lying down.  You can bet your bottom dollar that whatever is happening to you has or is happening to someone else, and it will only get better if you do something about it. We must remember that even if you do not obtain the justice you deserve, letting others know what has happened to you might be the first stage of finding someone else who has suffered similarly.

There is always a downside to anything we do, and it is vital to keep your personal information private until you have established the credibility of anyone you contact. Still, deciding not to do anything will result in nothing.  It is essential to make sure that some of the people you know are aware of what you are doing, and it is also necessary to keep a diary of what happens and when.  

The drama has to have been the icing on the cake for the victims because no matter how large, influential, and untouchable any organisation gets, media attention focused on a subject can bring them down.  The power of the people is the one thing that must be addressed, and no one will ever know how much people power there is for a particular grievance unless they do a little exploring.  

 
Back in the day, the answer was to write a letter to the newspapers, but the internet is now out there for those who can use it, and it may also be one way to put social media to good use.  

It is also to be remembered that others will only find out about such problems if you let them know.  

There is strength in numbers.  The program I mentioned proved it.  

Nothing ventured, nothing gained…

CP, Bromley.

LPG found one way to watch this drama if you missed it, although you might have to sign up for ITVX to do so.  It is free…

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