Money, money, money!!

Three of today's news items would seem to stand in stark juxtaposition.  Each of them concerns the compensation culture that has become so much a part of the British way of life. 

The first concerns Sharon Shoesmith, the former Director of Social Services for the London Borough of Haringey who was in post at the time of the death of 17-month old Peter Connelly ('Baby P').  After an investigation into the running of the Department, she was sacked by the then Education Secretary, Ed Balls.  However, the Court of Appeal has ruled that she was the victim of "unfair procedure" in the manner in which the sacking took place.  This, it has been widely reported, leaves her open to claim her full salary and pension rights from the day of her dismissal in Dec. 2008 - a sum that could amount to almost £1 million!!!

The second has to do with an Austrian aristocrat, and multi-millionaire, Count Alfons Mensdorf-Pouilly, who was investigated by the Serious Fraud Office over allegations of bribery and corruption at BAE, the British aerospace company.  The Count, who lives in a spacious hunting lodge in the remote Austrian town of Luising, also has a home in Vienna. His Scottish residence, Dalnaglar Castle in Glenshee, Perthshire, was commissioned by Lord Clyde, Queen Victoria’s banker, from what was a 16th century hunting lodge.  He was reportedly awarded the sum of £372,000 after the SFO discontinued its enquiries.  It would appear that he was detained in prison for six days - and deprived of a clean comb and "decent" underwear.  His comment when he learned of the size of this payout was "I would have stayed four weeks if I had known that"!

Alongside these two cases is that of Paratrooper Ben Parkinson.  At 26 years of age, he was seriously injured, in Afghanistan, when his Land Rover was hit by a Taliban bomb.  He lost both legs; his back was broken; he suffered brain damage that severely affected his speech; he had a further 34 injuries; he spent 4 months in a coma; and needed 18 months treatment.  Although a high-profile campaign eventually increased the amount, his initial compensation payment, under the terms of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, was £152,000!

It seems to me that our society has reached a particular low when the suffering experienced by a brave soldier pales into insignificance beside the inconvenience to which a foreign aristocrat is put, and the failure to accept responsibility by a highly-paid Council employee.  I can't help wondering if the way in which some people spell 'compensation' is
G, R, E, E, D!