Good day readers. I hope 2024 will be a positive year for you all, and hopefully for the Post Office Victims group, more on them later. Among the regular readers of the Woz Report will know that I am fascinated by foreign policy. As the clock struck midnight on January 31st, millions celebrated a new year. Nevertheless, whether it's the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Gaza or the persistent threats to shipping in the Red Sea, the overarching challenges to global security remain unabated. This week, Rishi Sunak hinted that a general election looks set for Q3.
For those not familiar with the workings of the campaign trail, I’ll be blunt and to the point. From now until election day, politicians will spend millions of pounds on their propaganda campaigns. You name it, we’ll hear it.
As I don't think any single party consistently represents the best interests of the British people, I've consistently identified as a swing voter. My definition of a strong prime minister is someone who is respected on the world stage. Margaret Thatcher had a fearsome reputation, one respected by world leaders. However, she was loathed by many British communities, particularly those with ties to coal mining. Whoever wins this year’s election is a faced with a myriad of challenges. What will this year’s plethora of manifestos look like? One can only assume at this moment, but here’s a snapshot of my priorities.
Crime prevention. From low level crime to the rise in organised criminal gangs, it might appear that the justice system has lost control. I know hand full of police officers, and they all say the same thing, We’re being asked to do more with less. Follow the National Crime Agency on social media, and you’ll see a common thread of drug runners, sex offenders and cyber crime. Britain has become an easy target for criminals, both foreign and domestic. Critics will question the source of funding for increasing the presence of police on the streets, but I’d argue that if the government wants to spend, it can. Think back to the trillions spent of fighting the war on terror.
Rebuilding the military. Britain’s armed forces is a shadow of what it once was. Service persons echo their blue light cousins - do more with less. Has the Cold War really ended, or did it just thaw? Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a wake up call. To encapsulate the worldwide scenario, let's envision the potential developments that may unfold in 2024.
A protracted war between Hamas and Israel, which will undoubtedly ignite a wider regional conflict involving other Palestinian territories.
An escalation of the war in Ukraine resulting from intensified operations in and around Crimea, and the Black Sea. As the war lingers, there is more chance of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
Direct military action between Iran and Israel. The catalyst being Iran’s support for militant groups, and its pursuit of tactical nuclear weapons.
Continued cyber attacks carried out by state and none-state actors, including attacks from Russia. ‘The Russia-based actor Star Blizzard (formerly known as SEABORGIUM, also known as Callisto Group/TA446/COLDRIVER/TAG-53/BlueCharlie) continues to successfully use spear-phishing attacks against targeted organisations and individuals in the UK, and other geographical areas of interest, for information-gathering activity.’ - Uk National Cyber Security Centre.
Politics has lost its way, not just here in Britain, but across the globe. The United States election is a case in point. I’d argue that sensible politics is what’s needed, tossing away the hypocrisy of policies like The Mayor of London’s ULEZ scheme. You can’t bring in that 10 plate 1.0 litre petrol car, but we’ll welcome you in a 5.0 litre 24 plate Range Rover. Without getting bogged down with the environmental aspects of politics, have think about how many tonnes of carbon emissions London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks created.
Fireworks are mainly made from black powder, which is carbon. These components release CO2 in the environment after combustion.
The primary forms include sugar, carbon black, or starch.2 Typically, fireworks containing about 35kg of gunpowder produce about 17kg CO2 when fully combusted.
To explain this better, new petrol engines produce 190gm of CO2 per mile.2
Therefore, you will require to travel for 88 miles on a new petrol engine to produce the amount of CO2 emitted by fireworks. If you consider tracing this carbon footprint using four vehicles, the amount of CO2 will represent a fraction of the whole audience.2
Source - 8 Billion Trees
Mr Bates versus the Post Office
ITV’s Mr Bates versus the Post Office has gripped the nation. One of the most prominent scandals involving the Post Office in the United Kingdom was related to its Horizon IT system. The Horizon system, which was introduced in 1999, was designed to manage financial transactions and record-keeping at Post Office branches across the country. In the following years, numerous postmasters reported discrepancies and unexplained financial shortfalls in their accounts.
According to Computer Weekly, the problems ensued, and there was a sudden increase in the number of subpostmasters suffering unexplained accounting shortfalls. Rather than investigate the problems and fix them, the Post Office blamed the branch operators, many of whom it prosecuted for financial crimes, with many more made bankrupt and sacked.
The scandal gained widespread attention as more cases of wrongful accusations and miscarriages of justice came to light. The Post Office's handling of the situation, along with its refusal to acknowledge the flaws in the Horizon system, led to public outrage and calls for a thorough investigation. Eventually, a group of affected postmasters initiated legal action against the Post Office, and in December 2019, the High Court ruled in their favour, declaring the Horizon system to be flawed and acknowledging the suffering of those wrongly accused.
I’m a backbench MP now so I can say what I want, I think, reasonably. I think people do need to be held to account and that it includes Paula Vennells…. From what I see of it, the tactics used by the Paula Vennells-led Post Office were pretty horrendous and people need to be held to account. Paul Scully MP, via Post Office Scandal
This scandal shed light on the broader issues of accountability, transparency, and the potential dangers associated with the increasing reliance on complex technological systems in public institutions. It prompted discussions about the need for reform and safeguards to prevent similar injustices in the future. Fingers crossed for the victims of the Post Office Scandal.
They’ll be more to follow in the build up to this year’s elections. Thank you for reading the Woz Report.