The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A 2 July 2013 email shows former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells relaying her husband’s suggested alternatives to words such as “bugs” and “defects”; Post Office executive Mark Davies replied that he liked “exception” very much. During Susan Crichton’s 2024 evidence to the Horizon IT Inquiry, counsel Julian Blake called the wording “absolutely Orwellian.” That was Blake’s characterization during questioning, not a formal finding by the Inquiry.
What did the 2013 email say?
The email was discussed in Susan Crichton’s evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on 23 April 2024. Vennells wrote: “My engineer/computer literate husband sent the following reply to the question: ‘What is a non-emotive word for computer bugs, glitches, defects that happen as a matter of course?’”
The suggested alternatives included “exception or anomaly,” and the possibility of “conditional exception/anomaly which only manifests itself under unforeseen circumstances”. Davies replied: “I like exception [very] much.” The exchange was dated 2 July 2013. The official hearing page lists both Crichton’s transcript and the email, reference POL00380985.
Why did the wording draw an “Orwellian” description?
Blake asked Crichton whether her husband’s suggested terminology had entered Post Office business language. He described “the use of ‘exception’ instead of ‘bug’, changing the language within the company, crafting a briefing” as “absolutely Orwellian.” This is counsel’s pointed characterization in a question, not a conclusion attributed to the Inquiry.
#1 Best Overall
The concern was that a less emotive term could make a software fault sound like a routine or neutral event. The email itself records a request for a “non-emotive” word, followed by Davies’s approval of “exception”; it does not, by itself, establish how widely that choice was adopted or prove the motives of everyone involved.
Did “exception” appear in later Post Office terminology?
Yes. The Inquiry report describes a briefing dated 3 July 2013 that referred to two bugs as “systems exceptions (anomalies).” The report also discusses other proposed substitutions, including “incident” and “fault.” Read together, the email and the later briefing show that alternative terminology was discussed and that “systems exceptions (anomalies)” appeared in a subsequent briefing. They do not establish that every Horizon fault was renamed or that the email alone caused the wording in that briefing.
The exchange took place while the Post Office was engaging with forensic accountants Second Sight over its Horizon investigation. Contemporary reporting on the hearing also described discussion of the investigation’s scope and concerns about its interim report; see Computer Weekly’s account of the 23 April 2024 hearing.
What did Susan Crichton remember?
Crichton said she did not recall the email and did not think she recalled a discussion about using less emotive language. Her evidence therefore does not independently confirm the intent behind the email or the circumstances in which the terminology was discussed. The primary record is the email itself as read during questioning, alongside the Inquiry’s report on later terminology.
Rank #3
What the record establishes—and what it does not
- Established: Vennells relayed her husband’s suggestions, including “exception” and “anomaly”; Davies said he liked “exception” very much.
- Established: The Inquiry report describes a 3 July 2013 briefing that called two bugs “systems exceptions (anomalies).”
- Attributed opinion: Blake called the language “absolutely Orwellian” while questioning Crichton.
- Not established by Crichton’s recollection: She did not remember the email or a discussion about less emotive language.
- Not established by this episode: A total number of Horizon faults, branches affected, or people affected by this terminology change.
The email and witness exchange can be read in the official hearing materials; the later terminology is discussed in the Inquiry’s published report.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
