Nuclear test veterans win Supreme Court appeal bid

[Gerald]

Veterans involved in Britain's nuclear weapons tests between 1952 and 1958 have been granted leave to appeal in their fight for compensation.

The Supreme Court agreed to their application for permission to appeal, and is expected to hear their cases later this year.

More than 1,000 ex-servicemen say exposure to radiation has led to ill health, such as cancer.

The Ministry of Defence maintains no "causal" link can be proved.

Lawyers for the 1,011 veterans asked the Supreme Court for permission to be allowed to argue their right to seek damages.

If the Supreme Court rules that their claims can go ahead, a hearing for damages would take place in the High Court.

The Court of Appeal had ruled that nine out of 10 "lead" cases had been brought too late to be heard.

The latest ruling means the veterans can take their cases back to court but does not make it more likely they will win.
'Difficult cases'

Giving the decision, Lord Phillips, President of the Supreme Court, said: "Might I just emphasise this is only an application for permission to appeal.

Veterans' widows Shirley Denton and Wendy Brothers say they were "thrilled" by the decision

"The court would not wish to raise false optimism in what are obviously some very difficult cases."

Outside court, veterans' solicitor Neil Sampson said: "This is a significant step forward in the veterans' fight for justice, but it's by no means the end of the road.

"We welcome the Supreme Court's decision and hope that we can have a hearing at a very early date.

"Unfortunately it may well be another year before the Supreme Court is able to have a full hearing of this matter."

The decision was reached by Lord Phillips, Lady Hale and Lord Brown.

Veteran's widow Shirley Denton told the BBC: "I am hoping, that with compassion and understanding, perhaps the courts can move more quickly and put the age of the veterans and the widows in preference to the delay that we've faced for so long.

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/7765/500984503380670.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/820/500984503380670.jpg/)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14320465

Note: 28 July 2011 Last updated at 16:46 GMT

[Platapus]

Anyone see the movie "Radio Bikini"?

It is not one of those feel good documentaries on the US testing program. :nope:

[Stealhead]

They did same thing for US test vets some time in the 1970's I guess they had trickle cases before then that they could pass off until more and more had issues.Wonder why this took longer in the UK?

I know for sure that a hydrogen bomb test out in Bikini was rather more powerful than they had planned and some troops got irradiated I believe it was a group of guys from this test that got attention.In the case of the US the government just could not deny it so they had no choice.

What is even worse I saw this old US film about tests must have been made in the mid 50's and the host is explaining all this and that about the tests and how they are not "directly" dangerous so long as you know where the fallout is going to go.Then pretty much in the same breath he says that some harmful radiation will drift high in the atmosphere and eventually some people might get irradiated by one of this pockets when it is near the ground.Then he says that that is an acceptable risk for "advancing mankind"(by testing weapons that will destroy it?Riiight).
You could probably find it online if you took the time to find it.The only way I was able to view it is was because the instructors of a NBC(not the TV network) refresher course I went through once while in the USAF showed it to us on the an old time film reel machine.It was just for kicks showing it to us that is.So maybe its rare I don't know seeing as it was on the orginal film reel.

@Platapus there is a book I read recently "15 Minutes" about the SAC and our nuclear weapons program the book mentions the Bikini in good but short detail love to see a full blown book about it.Will have to look for that doc you mentioned.

Did you know that in the late 50's an early B-52 had in flight trouble and wound up falling apart in mid air over North Carolina it had two live nuclear bombs in it bay.Nukes have various systems to allow them to know when they have been dropped(in case of problems over enemy turf they wanted them to go off no matter what though they also had fail safes)
Anyway of the two bombs one had it safety systems function and its shoot deployed(something that happens also when it is supposed to go bang) The second bombs shoot got destroyed by the violence of the B-52 falling apart and do to the inertia that the inertia switches felt the bomb "thought"(with what 50's electronics would allow) that it had been dropped for real and every single arming switch activated the last one never got the chance because it got destroyed by the hard strike to the earth had the bombs shoot deployed properly or had the bombs taken only 4 more seconds to freefall it would have fully detonated.This is 100% true you can look up the de-classified documents about it if you wish.

[krashkart]

Anyone see the movie "Radio Bikini"?

It is not one of those feel good documentaries on the US testing program. :nope:


Very interesting documentary.