Results tagged “coroner” from Birmingham Mail - Is It Just Me

There is a touch of irony about the Government being hoist with its own Human Rights Act petard, the words roost and chickens spring to mind, but for Defence Secretary Des Browne and the MoD to first of all challenge the ruling that British soldiers are entitled to have decent kit when we send them to war and then appeal it when they lose does not seem to have much to do with human rights.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan I would have thought that the Government had at the very least a moral right and duty of care to send our armed forces into battle with the proper equipment. If you are asking people put their lives on the line for you it seems only reasonable that you give them a fighting chance with the right tools for the job. Fine words are all well and good but they don't stop bullets.

The Government's attempt to gag coroners presiding over military inquests was covered in an earlier blog and now the High Court have ruled coroners should tell it like it is and not only that, they have ordered the MoD to supply more documents to inquests. So that makes it 3-0 to the judges in what looks like being the first leg with the return at the House of Lords.

The MoD fear seems to be that if sending troops into battle with defective, missing or sub-standard equipment is deemed to breach their Human Rights and then, to put the tin hat on it, so to speak, a coroner points out serious failures contributed to the death of some poor soul then the Government might have laid itself open to being sued for compensation by grieving relatives. I don't think you need to be a QC to work that one out.

I am no lawyer but there seems to be a fairly simple solution to this dilemma - make sure your troops are properly kitted out before you start getting involved in wars. It's the old adage if you can't pay don't play.