Wounded Iraqi gets £2Million...

willhub said:
2 million is plenty when you can live off the interest alone.
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Yes but there are inital purchases he's going to require, stair lift, wheelchairs, hoists for bathing, toilet etc... lots specialist equipment. £2 mil is not a lot of money for a severly degraded quality of life he's going to lead. Furthermore it won't be one lump sum I shouldn't think. 2mil doesn't take you far in this world I assure you - it really isn't that much money, not in this situation, not at all. You forget that this is not going to be for someone like you or I who can just put it in the bank, and carry on working and forget about it.

Heck in my industry (I deal with cash) I've sat in a room with over 50mil, and even that doesn't look like that much. Honestly, 2mil is a sensible ammount, and it's lost in the billions that we've spent on this war, it won't even be a thousandth of the cost spent - it's going to hardly make a dent in the account or in our taxes if you want to go down that route. Do you know how much money the country spends a day?! I can assure you 2 mil can be considered loose change in this instance.

Eitherway money is no object, this chap's paralysed, it's awful, I know of 2 people that have been paralysed as a result of an accident/incident it's a struggle, it's not easy for them at all. It makes things much more complicated and life becomes a struggle.
 
willhub said:
2 million is plenty when you can live off the interest alone.
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It isn't given in a lump sum, usually the money is paid into Court and the Claimant then apply for the fund when its needed, ie when he needs a house.

Sure, the money is enough to live off interest if you are able bodied, but not if you need to pay someone to look after you, cook for you, clean and bath you, only can travel in taxi's, plus medical care, all these to last a life time, and then damges for pain and suffering, loss of earnings, loss of amenities...etc.

There are a LOT of factors.
 
I think this is ridiculous.. it was an accident - yes he may be paralysed for ever but what about the 10000's of other iraqis who have got horiffic injuries?

Its just another kick in the teeth for people who go out there and risk their lives every day.. and for what?

It's had absolutley no positive effect on the UK population im sure - just costing us stupid amounts of money.

Back to the original point, why has he moved over here? why cant their government look after him? I dont see why the UK taxpayer should foot it... meh. And ofc I have some empathy but hey, why dont we give billions out to everyone else we've shot?
 
Well I think it's a great thing we're doing - call it a silver lining in the grey cloud that is this war. This whole war is a nightmare and should never have happened, I feel for the people who's lives have been ransacked as a result and for innocent parties to have been caught in the crossfire. I think this is a positive thing that is being done and I see nothing wrong with it. If it was a lot of money then I'd be upset, but in comparison to the billions spent it's just a small ray of positivity.
 
Freefaller said:
Well I think it's a great thing we're doing - call it a silver lining in the grey cloud that is this war. This whole war is a nightmare and should never have happened, I feel for the people who's lives have been ransacked as a result and for innocent parties to have been caught in the crossfire. I think this is a positive thing that is being done and I see nothing wrong with it. If it was a lot of money then I'd be upset, but in comparison to the billions spent it's just a small ray of positivity.
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Mm yeah ofc its a nice thing we're doing.. but imo it's too much.. you say its nothing? it's like a whole town's worths tax paid for a year, right?

That money could have gone to the NHS to help many people. I don't think he shouldnt have been given anything, but 2m is too much for ONE person who wasn't even born in this country.
 
Spitfir3 said:
Mm yeah ofc its a nice thing we're doing.. but imo it's too much.. you say its nothing? it's like a whole town's worths tax paid for a year, right?

That money could have gone to the NHS to help many people. I don't think he shouldnt have been given anything, but 2m is too much for ONE person who wasn't even born in this country.
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It'll take much much more than £2m to help the NHS or even make a dint in it's performance or even help it, I can assure you. I understand your point, but even though £2m for us is a large amount of zeros and a lot of money, in the grand scheme of things it's not.
 
Evangelion said:
Well not directly. They didn't attack her empire; they attacked Britain herself, and her allies. They didn't attack her colonies.

But the sheer drain of the war took its toll, that's undeniable.
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Yeah I guess that was my point mainly, that the sheer toll in men and money for the 2 World Wars pretty much crippled us as a country and empire. And yes I forgot about our 'friends' the USA who crippled us with huge war debts.
 
Freefaller said:
As long as it doesn't set a precedent, which we are assured of, then I don't see this as a problem. It's a horrid accident which did happen in a complete lack of luck situation, it wasn't even a NG so it really is just an accident. However the poor bugger being paralysed deserves the money. Comparing it to the compensation our soldiers get isn't fair, our soldiers are professional soldiers and are in the understanding that their job is hazardous, this chap was minding his own business and was a civilian.

I personally say, good call.
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spot on


and as a footnote...given the choice I would rather have the use of my legs than 2 million quid.
 
miracleboy said:
And yes I forgot about our 'friends' the USA who crippled us with huge war debts.
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Are you trying to imply that they were attempting to do anything other than help us? They let us borrow a huge amount of funds on interest yes, but this was entirely our choice. They never pointed a gun at our heads and forced us to take their money.

Without financial help from the US we would have been completely scuppered.

Are you suggesting that they should have given us the money free of charge?
 
Visage said:
How can you write these consecutive sentences and not see the glaring contradiction?
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Read my additional line. I understand that they profited greatly from it and that we had no choice but to accept their money but that was due to our own circumstances which had nothing to do with them. They really were our only choice yes, therefore we should be thankful that we were given assistance no matter what the cost.

:edit: Maybe thankful isn't the right word, it was business - we definitely should not be bitter that they lent us the money.

:edit2: Below post, I am aware of all your points. They are however not a fair basis for doubting our friendship with the US.
 
Zefan said:
Are you trying to imply that they were attempting to do anything other than help us? They let us borrow a huge amount of funds on interest yes, but this was entirely our choice. They never pointed a gun at our heads and forced us to take their money.

Without financial help from the US we would have been completely scuppered.

Are you suggesting that they should have given us the money free of charge?
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Well, not much of a "choice", really. It was sink or swim; and "sink" just wasn't a viable alternative. So... no choice at all, tbh. The UK needed to swim and the US needed the UK to swim since she [UK] was her [US] most powerful ally - even after the terrible beating she took in WWII.

The UK desperately needed case, but the Yanks were the only game in town. So naturally, the deal was cut in the Yanks' favour and they profited handsomely from it. No "mates' rates" in those days, it seems.

And she's only just paid it off.

Edit: just seen your other post; looks like we're basically in agreement. :)
 
miracleboy said:
Yeah I guess that was my point mainly, that the sheer toll in men and money for the 2 World Wars pretty much crippled us as a country and empire. And yes I forgot about our 'friends' the USA who crippled us with huge war debts.
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The loan that has just been paid off was taken just after the war not during the war. We were not treated unfairly either, 2% fixed intrest and anything left in GB from the lend lease was only charged at 10% of the US production costs. And a little known fact, we gave up paying loans to the USA from WW1 in 1932 because of the depression, fully adjusted to todays values we would owe £225bn. So on the monetary side of things we got a good deal.

Most of the deals on lend lease and other war time deals for bases and influence were more political to gain influence over British trade within the commonwealth empire and to gain access to areas for bases to give the United States military influence in areas they felt were economicly and strategicly important. This is where looking back we gave too much away, but look at it the other way round GB would have done the same. It was much needed help we were in no position to bargain, the USA knew this and built their global influence from our misfortune.
 
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Energize said:
This is a civillian shot and left paralysed because of someones incompetence. Someone fighting in a war being shot is completley different. Reasonable amount imo. And I bet you would do the same. I wouldn't be best pleased if someone invaded my country and shot me.
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original article said:
The man was wounded in September 2003 when a British soldier, whom he had befriended, accidentally dropped his gun, making the weapon go off.

The Iraqi, who was aged 13 at the time of the accident, later moved to the UK where he began legal action through the British courts.
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So not only does he get 2million payout, he also gets a free visa and disability payouts/benefits over here too?
 
They have a right, there country invaded by opposing forces for no reason what so ever, do you wonder why these Iraqis are fighting against the British and US Army.

Say if England was invaded and took over, would everybody just conform, no some would fight back with guerrilla fighting.
 
cheets64 said:
They have a right, there country invaded by opposing forces for no reason what so ever, do you wonder why these Iraqis are fighting against the British and US Army.

Say if England was invaded and took over, would everybody just conform, no some would fight back with guerrilla fighting.
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they have rights - yes

but not at the cost of our own guys rights

2 mil is nothing really, seriously that's what, 40-50 years worth of salary at an average salary here? It's a lifetime of work and so on, something this chap will never be able to achieved. Furthermore he'll need special equipment, wheelchairs, phsyio, etc... This is to cover this chaps life - his whole life. He can't walk anymore, he might not be able to do any work, his quality of life will be severely restricted, and for all we know he might be in pain or have complications that lead to more serious thing. His life has been turned upside down not only by a war that shouldn't be taking place, but by an accident and just because he was in the path of a stray bullet - it sucks, it's unfair and he deserves to be looked after.
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yes it's unfair, but he's now living over here, not like he's in iraq and it's a single payout, he lives here, and he'll be claiming off the system because he's not mobile, so 2 mill + visa + benefits..... is that fair when our soldiers come back from iraq/afghan missing limbs and they've still paid their taxes etc while deployed? I don't really think so, here's a quarter of a mill now shut up.
 
It's a fair payment IMO. He wasn't a combatant, he was a young boy who used to bring Coke and other refreshments to soldiers at a base. A soldier dropped his rifle and it went off and hit the boy.

I'd much prefer they properly looked after our own injured lads though...
 
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