This compensation culture...

Programme on the telly the other night about the discrepancy between those injured by terrorist activity here at home, and those similarly injured abroad. The former are entitled to compensation from the State under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, whereas the latter are not. Certainly seems inequitable at first sight, until you stop and wonder - why should anyone get compensation at all, home or away? We have a benefit system for those who are injured - you can argue whether or not it is adequate - but why should the circumstances leading to the injury make any difference? I know it seems heartless, but why should someone who loses a leg, let's say, as a result of a terrorist bomb, be any better (or worse) off than someone who suffers a similar injury as a result of a straightforward accident? What the programme did highlight was the lack of ordinary basic humanitarian assistance for UK citizens in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist (or for that matter, a natural) disaster abroad. This certainly needs addressing.