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Representing alleged victims of misconduct by serving members of the armed forces is by no means some easy way of making money. And when practitioners are subject to attacks by politicians of this nature we really should stand up for the rule of law.

When military conflict involving soldiers who are being killed and maimed is taking place it's very easy to manipulate passion and hostility at the expense of justice and human rights.

When the company commander of the US army unit responsible for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam was convicted, he was treated as a hero and politicians whipped up support for him while the helicopter commander who brought the massacre to an end by threatening to fire on his own troops was vilified.

Because war understandably encourages people to forget the rule of law and norms of behaviour that are taken for granted in peacetime.

When we represent people in the normal course of events, we can always point out the need for a fair trial and ask the public to imagine how they would feel if they were accused of a crime (or being sued) and there was nobody to represent them.

Far harder to do that when those who are accused of the offence are soldiers who are risking their lives and the alleged victims are foreigners who may be "terrorists" pointing the guns at the solidiers. "Whataboutery" becomes the order of the day.

And when that sort of passion is aroused, the fine points of vicarious liability will be lost when those soldiers will still be material witnesses who will go through investigation and possibly court appearance, and particularly given the outrageous lack of facilities to help veterans who are suffering from PSTD, the disproportionate number unemployed, in jail or living on the streets.

Nearer to home, and more pertinent (and dangerous), we should never forget the solicitor in Northern Ireland who was murdered by Loyalist paramilitaries in front of his family very shortly after a Tory MP referred in disparaging terms to lawyers who represented alleged Republican paramilitaries.

Politicians have a duty to uphold the rule of law, but frequently their political interests will encourage them to do the opposite.

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