Honours List

[midget]

Training to ride a bike very fast, at public expense, winning medals, and gaining the chance of lucrative advertising contracts.:- RESULT a knighthood.

An off-duty police officer on a tube train bombed by terrorists does not try to escape, but goes to the site of the attack, and gives first aid, thereby saving the lives of at least two people. RESULT a mere MBE.

DISCUSS.

[matthew]

Chris Hoy already had an MBE. As I understand it, it's not possible to get a second one, only a promotion.

I'm guessing the police officer in question didn't already have an honour.

[midget]

Chris Hoy already had an MBE. As I understand it, it's not possible to get a second one, only a promotion.

I'm guessing the police officer in question didn't already have an honour.

In that case why not OBE or, at a pinch CBE?

[Mid A 15]

Training to ride a bike very fast, at public expense, winning medals, and gaining the chance of lucrative advertising contracts.:- RESULT a knighthood.

An off-duty police officer on a tube train bombed by terrorists does not try to escape, but goes to the site of the attack, and gives first aid, thereby saving the lives of at least two people. RESULT a mere MBE.

DISCUSS.

It also helps if you are a "sweaty sock" when it comes to being recommended for honours by this government.

[Misterbee]

The injustices highlighted by this system of public recognition should not be used to denegrate the efforts of some of the recipients. I agree that that there seems to be an inversion of values when assessing the contribution of award recipients. Chris Hoy and co deserve our praise and thanks for performing so well at the olympics, lets not diminsh their effort in an attempt to highlight the injustices of the award system. The off duty policeman gets a "paltry" MBE compared with Chris Hoys knighthood. Its not Chris Hoys fault! Its the system. A system that dishes out "gongs", not on basis of merrit but on the basis of rank. If that copper had been a senior serving officer he may well have got an OBE or a CBE. A better recognition for him and the others similarly honoured would have been to bestow gallantry awards. The current system of awards stinks, particuarly where true effort is obscured by political patronage. However in the absence of a better system we have to make the best of what we've got!

[englishangel]

Very well put Misterbee

[jhopgood]

I have a dislike of the Honours system as I can never work out who benefits and what they get out of it.
My father, who was a DS in the Bomb Squad, got a BEM, which he received from the Police Commissioner, Marks. He was proud to get it, but he never found a use for it.
My cousin, who ended up as a Sargeant Major in the Green Jackets, got an MBE, which, although he was involved in Northern Ireland etc, seemed to be for long service. He got his from the Queen, and was so nervous he had his belt on upside down until someone noticed it.
My boss in Guatemala got an OBE, when he was recommended by the outgoing Ambassador, and I provided some background information to help his case. As with so many long term expats, he was heavily involved in the British Chamber of Commerce and local charities.
The manager of Lloyds Paraguay got an OBE when he left Paraguay, probably for work in the business sector and my boss in Argentina got an OBE, for similar reasons. When I congratulated the latter, he said, now we must work on yours, to which I said, "No Thanks, I get involved in things I want to do and not to get a gong".
The point is, there are so many people out there doing there own thing, helping others, because that is what they want to do, that it is pointless to have a system which rewards some and not everyone. I have more respect for people who go about quietly and unobtrusively doing the grunt work, rather than those who play to the gallery.
Sorry about the rant, but I think it is a useless system and should be abolished.

[J.R.]

Is it not just a bit like the old system for gaining a peerage ??

Not what you have done, but how much money you have and who you'd like to give a large chunk of it to....

[Jo]

The ones that annoy me are when you read the full listing and is says things like "for services to the arts", or " for charitable work" etc - all fine by me. Then you get to the one where it just has the name and "Civil Service Grade C2" (or whatever), as though that is enough reason to get the appropriate gong.

I agree with the system on principle but it does seem to depend on your social standing and who you know.

[midget]

It used to be said that if you worked in the Dept. of National Savings,and kept your nose clean, you would definitely get a gong at about retiring age. Nobody ever explained why that particular Department was singled out.

[Vièr Bliu]

Of course, if anyone thought deserving recipients were being overlooked, it would be their duty to nominate them through the appropriate process. Instructions for the UK are here: http://www.honours.gov.uk/nominate.aspx

However, I don't know where one would have to look for a de-nomination form to try to blacklist undeserving recipients. And the British honours system doesn't seem less dependent on who you know than, say, the French system.

[sejintenej]

I saw a complaint in one of the newspapers that although every Olympic medal winner got a gong of some type about half of the medal winners in the Paraolympics were ignored.
I agree with the writer's complaint that it was unfair treatment of the disabled.

[blondie95]

It does seem the honors system has its issues!!! I echo what has been said previously about lets not attack the receipients of such honors eg Hoy and the likes but those who manage the system. I think the issues with the 'those in the public eye' get gongs far quicker/easier than those not is probably down to the fact that the those in the office adminstering these awards can only see and know of so many people(sportspeople/tv stars are in the public eye). They seem to have to rely upon the public nominating those they feel deserve something as they cannot see and know everybodies lives and services.

[CHAZ]

Of course, if anyone thought deserving recipients were being overlooked, it would be their duty to nominate them through the appropriate process. Instructions for the UK are here: http://www.honours.gov.uk/nominate.aspx

However, I don't know where one would have to look for a de-nomination form to try to blacklist undeserving recipients. And the British honours system doesn't seem less dependent on who you know than, say, the French system.

The list for les Legionnaires d'Honneur has been published this morning and of course there are a fair amount of celebrities from cinema and sport who figure.

Even a British citizn has been nominated for "chevalier ". None other than John Galliano, Dior head designer.

I wonder if the French ever receive OBEs or the like in our system?

[Jo]

As I understand it, the British Honours system is only open to British & Commonwealth citizens. There are the occasional honorary exceptions, such as Bob Geldof's knighthood, but they wouldn't normally be given to non-Commonwealth people. It does seem a bit unfair - it should be used to honour anyone whose public service has been in, or has benefitted Britain, regardless of their nationality.