Common sense 1, Government 0

Under fire and under resourced: fewer soldiers will die, thanks to our tradition of a free and independent judiciary.

[First post for a while...been a bit preoccupied with some work stuff but now have more time on my hands and lots and lots of issues to be cynical about. I know MPs expenses is the issue du jour but, hell, that's being done to death elsewhere...]

Sometimes I wonder why anyone wants to be a soldier. Sent to fight in far off lands for dubious causes by a government that seems only partially interested in their welfare and then largely ignored by the public, save for the odd bit of clapping while they march past or the handful of clowns who shout abuse at them in the name of islam.

The armed forces are, of course, staffed by honourable men and women striving to serve their country and keep the rest of safe to go about our daily lives free from getting shot or having our own limbs blown off by roadside bombs.

So it raised a little cheer this morning when I read that our judiciary was rallying to their cause by ruling that the government did indeed have to apply the Human Rights Act to its soldiers on the battlefield. You can read more about it here but suffice it to say that the government does not come across very well in seeking to block the aims of the families of dead and maimed soldiers bringing the case, namely that our boys and girls fighting over there deserve to have the government legally obliged to do everything they can to stop them getting killed. That means proper kit in sufficient quantities to support the job that the armed forces are being asked to do.

The government (boooo!) will doubtless appeal the case to the House of Lords but, for the moment, its score one for the good guys.