By Robert Halfon
After the Gurkhas, there is another group of veterans that strongly need our support.
During the 1950s, members of the armed forces were told to watch atomic test blasts in the South Pacific. As a result, many of these veterans subsequently suffered varying degrees of sickness, most probably linked to radiation and three veterans a month are now dying.
Although for many years they were denied the right to compensation, in a landmark ruling in June this year, these veterans were given the right to take legal action to claim compensation from the Government - and a chance to get an acknowledgment of both their suffering and regret for having had to endure the atomic tests.
Astonishingly, the Government has opposed the veterans' actions, arguing that they had waited too long to claim compensation - despite the fact that their efforts of some years had been rebuffed. This is despite the fact that other countries - most notably the USA and Canada, which undertook similar tests - have accepted that it was a mistake to conduct such tests.
The Government is now appealing against this decision, trying to kick this into the long grass.
Time and time again, this Government has demonstrated cavalier treatment of our armed forces. They only acted on the Gurkhas after tremendous public pressure.
They should now recognise that the atomic test veterans deserve justice.
Instead of penny pinching and legal sophistry, they should act without delay and give these former members of our armed forces the compensation they deserve. Let us hope the Government will act before being pushed once again by public opinion.
