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RockitRon
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:18 pm Post subject: Soldiers win protection of Human Rights Act |
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I missed this the other day, not difficult in all the noise of battle over MPs' expenses, but the High Court has ruled against the Ministry of Defence by deciding that soldiers should receive the full protection of the Human Rights Act even when they are on the battlefield.
Judges rejected a government appeal against extending the Act to service personnel overseas and declared that "right to life" enshrined in the law meant the Ministry of Defence could be held legally liable if it failed to provide suitable equipment and medical care in combat situations.
The original case was brought against the MoD by the family of a private who died from heatstroke in Iraq in 2003, after an inquest into his death heard that, in temperatures of 60C there was no air-conditioning available and that medical advice given was faulty. It does, however, have much wider, fundamental (and expensive) implications given the repeated allegations that our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are insufficiently equipped for the war and ground conditions, and opens the way for further action by bereaved families who feel that the MoD failed in their obligations under the law.
The ministry has been given leave to appeal; they say that if they lose they will be effectively unable to conduct any military operation abroad, and their view that, in the heat of battle, the UK "could not secure the rights and freedoms which the ECHR seeks to guarantee" is understandable. However, it is just not right that our armed forces are apparently sent off to fight without adequate, essential, proper (and properly performing) equipment, and if enforcement of the Human Rights Act is the only way of ensuring that that happens, then the ruling would seem to be a desirable one.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8054875.stm _________________ Ron |
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Rachel Guest
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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The way we procure equipment for our services has changed radically over the last 10 years. We used to buy the best bespoke equipment available. ( All designed to our requirements:expensive, but the best) Now, we buy the cheapest available off the shelf equipment- commercial equipment, adapted for use by our services. It's a policy of buying cheap stuff that will very nearly just do the job but more often than not, just not quite. |
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tiny51
Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 915
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 9:20 am Post subject: |
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I had to go guard the place where they do the procurements. Full combats belt order and carrying a big rifle, asked someone to show there ID and they got all stroppy and demanded to know why we were not wearing ID. Pompous civil servant in charge ordered us to pin our ID cards to our combats. Seems we buys the equiptment on the basis of which company buys the best dinner and sends you on the best holidays. There was only 1 officer who took it serious he took every bit of kit and tested it before making any recommendations. Seems it is not only the politians who are at the trough |
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