Lack of accountability and powerlessness don’t do much for trust either
Trust thought for today - is about accountability & powerlessness
The dramatic failings of business & governments are usually complex & systemic making accountability easier to evade. Top of mind for me recently is the Post Office Scandal where evidence from a known to be faulty IT system resulted in the prosecution of 736 Subpostmasters & 40 jail terms. (This gut wrenching story told brilliantly below by Private Eye & campaigning journalist Nick Wallis, whose book on this comes out in October).
At least we will have a statutory inquiry, but its narrow remit will it seems fail to look at many of systemic contributory factors - like the failings in the criminal justice system, the role of Whitehall, the stupidity of the splitting of the Post Office and Royal Mail and forced the relentless focus on profitability which contributed to the vicious internal culture, lies, arse covering from PO & the pursuit of profit at all costs too by Fujitus the supplier of the IT. Who knows if it will result in prosecution of those responsible, including Paula Vennells given a CBE for 'services to the Post Office' and new BT boss Adam Crozier who presided over the bulk of the prosecutions. My teeth actually gnash.
See here for more on that here https://lnkd.in/gsTE2kBG
I am so enraged by this, but feeling utterly powerless to do anything but rant on social media and sign a few online petitions (which are now closed).
This is is a contributing factor to loss of trust in governments, business, justice systems. What else is there to do? How are we citizens to have any agency to contribute to solving these intractable problems? Not just with PO, but unaccountable tech giants, untrustworthy governments (don't even start me on Boris et al), incompetent or downright corrupt systems and organisations?
My only current conclusion is to follow my mantra 'Keep Buggering on' - create or sign the petition, rant, write to MPs make a fuss, support whistleblowing organisations, do what we can and try to step up to not let these things happen on our watch and do what we can in our own little worlds. After all, this is what creates 'social norms' of behaviour, cultures of trustworthiness and accountability.
Any ideas on how we ordinary folks can push for more accountability on PO? Nick Wallis, Ian Ross, Richard Moorhead, Tony Collins
https://lnkd.in/guhGC2H