Office management

• The report endorsed on Wednesday (15 votes for, nine against, no abstentions) aims to strengthen Parliament’s rules on preventing conflict and harassment in the workplace and promoting good office management by introducing mandatory specialised training for MEPs.
• to the EP Bureau or as committee chair), be appointed as rapporteur, or participate in an official delegation or interinstitutional negotiations.
• a member of the EP Bureau or a committee chair) if they fail to complete the training.
• A double majority threshold would apply in such a vote: two-thirds of votes cast and a majority of all MEPs.

• Linux Foundation Events are the meeting place of choice for open source maintainers, developers, architects, infrastructure managers, and sysadmins, as well as technologists leading open source program offices, DevRel teams, and other critical leadership functions.
• SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation , the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced that registration is open for Open Source Summit North America , happening April 16-18 in Seattle, WA.
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• However, viewers might find themselves with one looming unanswered question as they watch: how could this persist, at such a scale, for so long?
• The efforts of Bates and others have been invaluable – but they are a tiny subset of the overall victims.
• By and large, most sub-postmaster victims did not speak out about the injustice they faced.

• This article is part of Conversation Insights
  The Insights team generates long-form journalism derived from interdisciplinary research.
• The team is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects aimed at tackling societal and scientific challenges.

Sub-postmasters told they were the ‘only ones’

• I was led to believe at this meeting that I was the only sub-postmaster who was having problems with shortfalls.
• It made me feel stupid that I was the only person who had these issues.
• I confirmed that I had not done anything wrong and asked again about issues with the Horizon system.
• I was led to believe at this meeting that I was the only sub-postmaster who was having problems with shortfalls.
• Being told they were the only one not only discouraged victims from speaking out, it also planted a seed of self-doubt in many of their minds.

‘Spat on, shouted at and shunned’

• While the drama focuses on the heartwarming story of Hamilton, who received an inordinate amount of support from her local community, most sub-postmasters were not so lucky.
• Our analyses of the public inquiry statements reveal the local stigmatisation and shame that many felt.
• There are vivid accounts of sub-postmasters being spat on, shouted at and shunned.
• Those who experienced a wrongful accusation had similar negative mental health outcomes as those who were wrongfully convicted.
• Our research leads us to believe these feelings of shame and experiences of stigmatisation discouraged people from speaking out about the injustice.

Victims were unable to defend themselves

• Imagine that, tomorrow morning, you walk into work and are called into your line-manager’s office.
• They accuse you of something and tell you to gather your personal items as you are being sacked.
• This is the nightmare reality that sub-postmasters who were accused of theft and false accounting often faced.
• As one victim, Keith Macaldowie, recalled during the inquiry:
  They closed the office when they suspended me, so I couldn’t gain access.
• Overall, we found the lack of access to information that could prove the sub-postmasters’ innocence discouraged them from trying to speak out.

‘The Queen’s business’

• As one of the victims, Nicola Arch, told us:
  Working for the Post Office, it was the Queen’s business.
• The Queen acknowledges the Post Office — her face is on the stamps.
• In that era, everyone believed that it was a very prestigious company to work for, very respected … Everyone thought the Post Office could never be wrong.
• The Queen acknowledges the Post Office — her face is on the stamps.
• Despite individual appeals by sub-postmasters, Post Office managers did not challenge the leadership or organisation, and apparently believed their systems, including Horizon, were infallible.

The myth of ‘infallible systems’

• It also fuelled their self-doubt about whether this “perfect” system really could have any bugs in it.
• When injustices comes to light, often years after harm has occurred, we often hear people ask: ‘If this was going on, why didn’t they tell someone?
• Post Office employees have given evidence confirming that sub-postmasters were subject to “good character checks”.
• This alone should have raised concerns about these accusations, both inside and outside the Post Office.

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Grace Augustine receives funding from the British Academy / Leverhulme Trust for her research on the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal project. Jan Lodge receives funding from the British Academy / Leverhulme Trust for his research on the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal project. Mislav Radic receives funding from the British Academy / Leverhulme Trust for his research on the Post Office Horizon IT Scandal project.

• The Open Beta stage on the Testnet is almost over, but everyone can register and start playing without any upfront investments.
• The Open Beta on Mainnet has preserved the majority of changes made for Open Beta on Testnet.
• First, be aware that your progress in the game will be erased because of blockchain switching from Testnet to Mainnet.
• Prior to the launch of Open Beta on the Mainnet, Season 00 with leaderboards and special prizes will last until December 3rd.