The scandal that broke British politics. The Horizon/Fujitsu system whose unreliability was flagged up before the £900million deal was struck in 1999 was backed by Peter Mandelson (Lord) and pushed through by Tony Blair (Sir) despite the adverse reports to avoid damaging relations with Japan. Gordon Brown later appointed Lib Dem Ed Davey (Sir) as Postal Affairs Minister while prosecutions were ongoing. David Cameron (Lord) and every Tory PM since have averted their eyes from the egregious miscarriages of justice going on under their noses. What are they for?
The Mail on Sunday has also noted that Blair had close links with Fujitsu, meeting Fujitsu bosses in Japan in 1996, before he entered No10.
On the UK chart the 2nd house Neptune is under attack from a square to the Solar Arc Sun and also to the SA Midheaven over coming months – all of which might point up a financial snafu of epic proportions with all the Neptunian vices of evasion, deception, dishonesty, smoke-screening, chilling inhumanity on show.
The Solar Arc Saturn is also opposition the UK Uranus exactly over this furore, tugging on one leg of the UK yod of Uranus sextile Jupiter inconjunct Pluto. That yod at its most negative is bullying, coercive and grandiose as well as wayward and defiant. Saturn has no truck with arrogance or deviations from the straight and narrow – so this influence may be part of this scenario as well.
Plus tr Uranus is moving to square the UK Saturn in the 11th house, which rules the legislature this May and again over the New Year into March 2025 – which might give Westminster a sharp elbow in the ribs. Maybe. Hopefully.
It is too much to hope that the great British electorate rise up and toss all of them into the trash can. But again it may be Pluto in Capricorn’s swansong to spotlight wholesale political failures. Never mind the PPE procurement and infected blood disasters which are still limping along in the background.
Tony Blair, 6 May 1953 6.10am Edinburgh, Scotland, is running into a series of cataclysmic setbacks courtesy of his Progressed Mars square his Neptune Saturn from now till 2026; and his SA Moon opposition his Neptune Saturn in 2026/27. At the moment his has a Solar Arc yod formed from SA Neptune sextile SA Pluto inconjunct his Jupiter – all at the 29’ anaretic degree. Tr Pluto is also just into his career 10th house which often coincides with a reputation dent/collapse..
The Fujitsu Sun, 20 June 1935, falls in his financial 2nd house with the Fujitsu Jupiter exactly opposition his Taurus Sun. His relationship with Fujitsu has a ‘fated yod’ hinting that the association will affect the destiny of both for good or ill. That yod is being cut down to size with tr Saturn square one leg and tr Neptune Saturn in 2025 colliding with the Saturn focal point. So it is a link that won’t fade into obscurity any time soon.
Ed Davey has tr Pluto conjunct his Mars in Aquarius from late February on and off for two years which will box him in.
Just goes to show a week is a long time in politics. Starmer’s two backroom string-pullers of Blair and Mandelson will be compromised over this which will reflect badly on his judgement. And Rishi Sunak has gone into full “Wag the Dog” mode over the Houthi attack, whether intentionally or not, which could change the rules of the game in coming months.
See previous posts: Blair – 14 November and 28 July 2023. Fujitsu/Post office 8 January 2024.
Thank you Marjorie, and everyone else in the comments for great analysis too. I’ve been too short of time this week to look at this myself, but it is fascinating although the human aspect is heartbreaking. And we all thought TV was dying, especially commercial legacy channels like ITV, but this drama goes to show that it still has a massive reach – not something I expected to come up as Pluto nears television ruling Aquarius.
What also sets this apart is how it’s dragged all three main (non-nationalist) parties into the mud simulataneously. I can’t think of another scandal that has done that. It means the public can’t get lazy and think “oh well, those are the bad guys now, let’s vote in the other ones”, it’s forcing everyone into system 2 thinking, as Danny Kahneman puts it. Which would be amazing, unless another populist “alternative” option comes in – that’s the worry.
The public impact of this drama is astonishing I agree, Tara. What’s puzzled me is that there’ve been various documentaries about Horizon, going back some years, which have failed to capture public imagination. There was a BBC Panorama programme on the scandal in 2015, for instance. Panorama and Horizon – both words implying wide views! And interesting what you say about all the parties being dragged into the mud here too, with Pluto’s move into Aquarius, the Saturn transit of UK Pluto in evasive Pisces, and Uranus shaking up Saturn in Leo.
And just as a by-the-way, the fixed degrees which are in focus for this serpentine saga resonate with UK Saturn in Leo, and Neptune in Scorpio. Toby Jones, who plays Mr Bates in the drama, has Jupiter 21 Leo, square Neptune 21 Scorpio. Possibly the perfect choice to channel this outwards….
I very much hope the bright light being shone now will also seek out other enduring injustices too. Perhaps a ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ moment will be ignited?
Evidently the NHS has the Horizon system as well.
…and finally the auditors (mainly EY who were auditors 1998 to 2012-quite ridiculous really) are being pulled in for questioning. Pertinent it would seem when a total of £100M was reportedly garnered from the subpostmasters when they ‘reimbursed’ their alleged shortfalls. Totally Aquarius.
It strikes me that in an age where there is little consensus among the electorate on practically every issue, this scandal has managed the impossible – it has united the nation.
Then there’s the publication today of a review on the Rochdale scandal, instigated by Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham (who’s highly Cardinal chart btw has an aneuretic natal Mercury in Capricorn – so transit Pluto is conjunct right now!) which reveals that these children were utterly failed by the authorities who were meant to protect them. With Pluto on the precipice of Capricorn, the sign of hierarchy and institutions, maybe the best we can hope for is that it’s ingress into Aquarius results in some kind of redistribution of power to ordinary people. I will dream on.
*anaretic.
We’ll all dream on VF, hoping for better.
The degrees 20-21 Leo/Aquarius were involved at the time of Sara Rowbotham’s official ‘alert’ to the authorities in Rochdale in 2007, fuller comment further down.
It’s intriguing to notice that Uranus was 22 Aquarius, opposing UK Saturn, when the Palace of Westminster burned down in October, 1834. Neptune was 28 Capricorn. The main pressure I can see for that day came from a Mars/Saturn conjunction opposing Pluto in Aries, all around the UK Nodes, which have a return this spring. There was then a caretaker government, followed by Robert Peel (‘father of politics’, the Met etc) becoming PM in December.
The later fixed degrees crop up over and over again for various UK charts, and many other sensitive locations and organisations at the moment. As Uranus shakes them up, perhaps those cosily entrenched in rigid establishment structures will at last learn to listen, at the very least. Or will Uranus be burning down the house in some symbolic way?!
It seems to be the case with Sunak at the moment. Uranus is on his Taurean Sun/Mercury, which is the focal point of his Yod, opposite his natal Uranus in Scorpio, and inconjunct his Neptune/Pluto sextile. The February 19th North Node/Chiron conjunction opposes his natal Pluto also triggering the U.K.’s nodal axis. So Uranus is certainly bringing crisis to his leadership and following today’s Rwanda rebellion, it’s not looking promising for him.
Apparently, Sunak has a Jupiter transmit round about now.
Well he is certainly acting out as the ‘tough guy’, bombing Houthis, sending billions of UK taxpayers money to Ukraine, and pushing his completely ridiculous Rwanda Bill through Parliament.
A seriously rattled little man is lashing out hyper aggressively in all directions with one object – to appear ‘tough’ to the British electorate and thus gather the Neanderthal vote.
It feels like a band aid is being ripped off ever so slowly revealing the terrible infection beneath. The new docudrama format is going to be the new NCIS. As a result is going to reveal a lot of people and structures, both well known and up to now totally faceless but not for long…
Reading the discussion here, I think it’s worth including the Uranus/Mars/Nodes triple conjunction at 18 Taurus of July and early August, 2022. The first compensation hearing for victims of the Post Office scandal took place on 6th July 2022, the second on 13th, involving a number of different groups of victims.
Speaking at the first compensation hearing at The Oval cricket ground in South London on 6 July 2022, Howe & Co’s lead counsel Sam Stein QC, on behalf of 153 of the postmasters affected, said:
“The approach of the Post Office and BEIS [the department for business, energy and industrial strategy] replicates past behaviour.
“There is the danger of a scandal within a scandal about compensation.”
The July hearings (the second is on 13 July) are designed to get to the bottom of problems with the compensation process.” postofficescandal.uk
The triple conjunction opposed UK Neptune in Scorpio in the second house of values, and money. Saturn at 24 Aquarius was opposing UK Saturn at 23 Leo in the 11th house of, amongst other things, groups. April’s Jupiter/Uranus conjunction is 21 Taurus, while a New Moon in May is 18 Taurus. I hope this means it is finally time to pay up in every possible way for those involved in perpetrating this cruel, heartless saga of lies.
Jane, Agreed. And that 18 degrees Uranus/Mars/North node last year was also exactly opposition the UK 2nd house Neptune which is being spotlighted right now with the Solar Arc Sun and SA MC. It always did look a momentous influence which in some ways at the time did not live up to its reputation – ditto the 1999 eclipse. From little acorns oak trees grow – or whatever the correct analogy for this corrosive abscess is.
Thank you Marjorie. I remember we all discussed that triple conjunction on here, and wondered what it might signify at the time.
In further establishment unravelling today, there’s the publication of a report (finally!) into what happened with the Rochdale grooming gangs scandal. Of course, other locations – Rotherham, Bradford, Birmingham – are also involved in this, but this specific report focuses on Rochdale.
“The report said Ms Rowbotham, co-ordinator of the Crisis Intervention Team set up to support young people in Rochdale, and former GMP detective Maggie Oliver, who resigned from the force in disgust, were “lone voices” who had flagged the clear evidence of “prolific serial rape of countless children in Rochdale.”
Sara Rowbotham’s first official ‘alert’ is dated to 2007. That year saw Saturn at 20 and 21 Leo opposing Neptune 20/21 Aquarius. Saturn entered Virgo later that year, opposing UK Pluto in Pisces (victim/saviour axis?). It has now just been conjunct Pluto. Uranus is now squaring that Saturn/Neptune opposition from 2007.
I wonder what else will emerge. Pluto back in Aquarius next week, and a New Moon in February at 20 Aquarius, square Uranus for further skeletons in cupboards tumbling out?
Jane & Marjorie, I don’t know if or how it fits in, but there was the eclipse of 11th August 2018, that was 18 degrees of Leo. I can’t remember what was going on in the world at this time but it is at that critical degree & partly echoes the 1999 eclipse & includes 2007 & 2022 & other points that have been mentioned.
De Montfort’s Parliament was an unofficial meeting of barons.
Official Parliament starts when Edward III summons the Model Parliament (so called because all future Parliaments are modelled on it). This is when the elected House of Commons was invented, it gets it’s nickname “Commons” from Edward III’s summons: “what touches all, should be approved of all, and it is also clear that common dangers should be met by measures agreed upon in common”.
It assembled in November 1295 (some accounts say 13th Nov, some say 27th Nov. Time was 2:30 p.m. (to give attendees time to ride or walk in) – wasn’t till 1990’s that Parliament met earlier in the day.
13th Nov 1295 looks correct to me. Mercury at 20 Scorpio is conjunct Sun at 21 Scorpio in the 8th house (other people’s money aka taxes!!). Transiting Uranus is now approaching opposition to them.
Moon is at 23 Libra in the 7th. Pluto is at 12 Aquarius on the cusp 12th house. We are going to be approaching the Pluto return of Parliament in a few years time.
1999 solar eclipse had Sun and Moon at 18 Leo, square the Parliament’s Sun. Uranus during the eclipse was 14 Aquarius, conjunct Parliament’s Pluto. Saturn during eclipse was 16 Taurus, opposite Parliament’s Sun.
(Oddly, Rishi Sunak ties into Parliament’s chart too. He has Sun-Marcury at 20/21 Taurus opposite Parliament’s Sun-Mercury. And his Uranus is at 23 Scorpio is conjunct Parliament’s Sun-Mercury. His Pluto is at 19 Libra is conjunct Parliament’s Moon. There is something fated about him.)
I can of course be wrong, but I think the term “House of Commons” is more likely to come from “Chambre des Communes”.
French was, at least in the Norman and early Plantagenet eras, the language of the elite and it is likely that the French term “communes” got (mis?)translated as “Commons”.
Nowadays, I think it would be translated as “House of the Communities”.
I think the word common in all its meanings comes from that single Anglo French source word. As far as I can remember from studying the Middle Ages commoners were essentially people who lived in communes as opposed to the landed aristocracy and the clergy. As the Parliaments started to include burgesses from the towns and gentry from the shires it would make sense for them to be grouped under a single title as a key element in the body politic.
Parliament has generally traced us history from the De Montfort Parliament of 1265 as it is the first one where knights and burgesses attended. It was the Parliament which had its 750 anniversary celebrated in 2015 by its modern successor
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_de_Montfort%27s_Parliament#:~:text=Simon%20de%20Montfort's%20parliament%20of,of%20the%20House%20of%20Commons.
In terms of challenging the central government executive I think it was important even if it was the barons leading the process.
The Horizon project, which was launched under John Major’s Conservative government, was running more than two years behind schedule by 1998 the BBC website tells us. But there are patterns which no one questioned, like where did the lie that no other indivduals were affected, as told to each prosecuted post person, come from? Why was the expansion in prosecutions not questioned, esp in comparison to previous years. All governments are culpable, but how many took 30 pieces of silver? from vested interests? Windrush, and Grenfell are two more examples of delayed restitution – is there an astological marker across them all?
In the mid-late 90’s, very early in my career, I worked at a company that produced a similar EPOS/Accounting system for franchised petrol garages. It was made by a British Engineering company whose core business was not software – this was surprisingly common in those days and continues somewhat. It was a real education to see how many backhanders and greased palms pervaded every aspect of these businesses – every supplier you can think of, not just software. The whole “preferred supplier” and procurement processes of any business or government institution with many sites across the whole country, needs looking at. Once you have a contract to supply all of them, you’re rolling in it and the potential for corruption is huge – far beyond deals made on the golf course. Not to mention the national security implications, which no one considered back then.
August 11th 1999 eclipse – Sun in Leo at 18 degrees, Mars in Scorpio at 16 degrees, Saturn in Taurus at 16 degrees and Uranus in Aquarius at 14 degrees.
Looking at the natal chart of the UK, it’s Neptune in Scorpio is 18 degrees & its Venus in Aquarius is 16 degrees. On its Solar arc chart, Sun is in Leo at 18 degrees & IC Leo is at 17 degrees & MC Aquarius at 17 degrees.
Tony Blair’s natal chart – Sun in Taurus at 15 degrees, Pluto at 20 degrees Leo.
Ed Davey natal chart – Neptune in Scorpio at 21 degrees.
Whatever went on, behind the scenes before the 1999 eclipse, seems to have led to dubious decisions being escalated, that would be hidden & obscured for many years & I suspect there is a lot more to come out as (hopefully) roosters come home to roost aided by the last vestiges of Pluto in Capricorn.
Worth noting the Horizon system was actually rolled out to 10,000 Post Office branches in August 1999.
Thank you Hugh, I couldn’t find out what month it was rolled out. The August 11th 1999 eclipse was powerful & I still think in play today.
… and now just found this – ‘Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’ – Acceptance Incidents discussed at meeting on 11 August 1999, Summary of Overall Position and Acceptance Incident Summary
https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/evidence/pol00028360-acceptance-incidents-discussed-meeting-11-august-1999-summary-overall-position
It does feel like a bit of a landmark scandal which could be very representative for the beginning of the Pluto in Aquarius era. The common man has been repressed and exploited for long enough by the overlords, so to speak.
I guess if there’s one thing Pluto in Aqua might bring, it’s the Aqua detachment that doesn’t give a damn about the feelings of others when there’s an issue of doing the right thing for everybody involved.
Pluto now only a week away from its next trip into Aqua.
Last year it dipped its toe in from late March to early June only reaching 0Aqu19 – that period was dominated by the King’s coronation so not too much of note.
This year it’s there’s for six months until the end of August reaching 2Aqu06. Then we have a 3 month retrograde back to 29Cap39 with the definitive entry into Aqua on Nov 19th. We have the U.S. election a couple of weeks earlier and I suspect the UK election will be held around that time. Taurus Rishi hanging onto the last reasonable moment.
I think this is the start of exposing the computer/IT/tech oligarchy. This scandal affects every part of the establishment: the government, the House of Lords and commons, lawyers (many should be struck off for misleading the court), private/public business (Post Office), international relations (with Japan), the church (Vennells is a Church of England priest). It’s all so on point -Pluto leaving the sign of the structure of the establishment and moving into Aquarius.
Break everything! I never realised the UK was so corrupt.
For me Pluto in Aquarius is going to expose all the tech billionaires, and make us very wary of computers running our lives. Computers are fallible.
And I love technology. Time for a reset.
It is a long, long way till 2043, when Pluto will leave Aquarius for Pisces. Then we will finally know how the AI/machine learning/neural networks thing turned out. (But then again I’m not sure we even know how the sojourn in Capricorn ended and what it fully meant.)
In the meantime, from 2025 till 2032 Uranus (tech) will be in Gemini (airy, thinking, clever, brainy, fast, communicative, intelligent).
And Neptune will be in Aries from 2025 till 2038. Unsure what that has to do with technology, but Neptune is strong in the charts of mathematicians and Aries is the sign of the beginning.
So a whole lot is going to happen, it seems.
Logically, if Pluto in Capricorn is destruction and rebirth of the Establishment, Pluto in Aquarius will be the destruction and rebirth of communities.
Pluto can also be interpreted as “more power or wealth to” (such as in terms like plutocracy), so Pluto in Capricorn has also led to more power and wealth to the Establishment and Pluto in Aquarius could mean more power and wealth to communities.
Then again, Pluto could mean that more power and wealth leads to internal squabbling and destruction, before rebirth. So many ways to interprete.
There is an article on the BBC website today saying that IMF expects AI might take away 40% of jobs and increase inequality.
Marjorie,
For a question like this, on the UK’s political system, would it make sense to also look at Parliament’s chart (because Parliamentary sovereignty means that Parliament has the same status as the constitutions in other countries) and at the chart of the first UK Prime Minister (to see how the office of the Prime Minister looks astrologically)?
Crucial Parliament’s would be the De Montfort Parliament 20 January 1265 Jul and the Long Parliament 3 November 1640 Jul. No fixed date for the First Prime Minister but the term was first used about Robert Walpole born 16 August 1676 Jul. The De Montfort chart is interesting as it has it’s Sun at 8 Aquarius and Mercury at 6 Aquarius opposite Neptune at 9 Leo. The De Montfort Saturn at 21 Taurus and Mars at 23 Taurus are currently conjunct transiting Uranus. The big problem in modern politics is that Parliament is essentially subservient to the executive arm of the state and most MPs are just lobby fodder. Both the De Montfort Parliament and the Long Parliament were basically about curbing the power of the central government.
why is the sun at 8 degrees Aquarius on the 20th January? it should be hovering around zero degrees? Or was the calendar different then?
It makes you wonder what was going on for three years between 1996 to 1999. A lot of hand wringing and a determination to bury our heads in the sand and hope that no-one notices.
I would say another kicking the can down the road except that somebody somewhere made that decision to make scapegoats of the subpostmasters and subpostmistresses. Thoroughly craven, the lot of them!