New Years Honours

[Champ]

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the system, I imagine most of us take at least a passing interest in how the honours are distributed. This time round I was particularly interested to see how the number of incredible sporting achievements over the summer would be recognised and whether any of those linked to the search for the truth and justice would be acknowledged.

 

Great sporting achievement has been recognised in knighthoods for Bradley Wiggins, Dave Brailsford, Ben Ainslie and others.

 

Er, Kate Bush? What has she been doing that I've been missing?

 

Bad miss with not a single mention for anyone connected with the Justice campaign as far as I can see though

[VladimirIlyich]

I don't take an interest other than to hear names of well connected and wealthy people and shake my head wondering how much they've paid for the 'honour.'

 

As for sporting achievement,the most successful managers in our clubs history never got a sniff while anybody connected with those arseholes down the east lancs gets them given to them.

 

Maybe this should have been in the Rant thread.

[PestiRed]

I don't take an interest other than to hear names of well connected and wealthy people and shake my head wondering how much they've paid for the 'honour.'

 

As for sporting achievement' date='the most successful managers in our clubs history never got a sniff while anybody connected with those arseholes down the east lancs gets them given to them.

 

Maybe this should have been in the Rant thread.[/quote']

 

This should answer your questions on how much each honour costs. Even the Torygraph seem pissed off about it

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9769966/New-Year-Honours-List-2013-Tory-donors-get-gongs.html

[VladimirIlyich]

This should answer your questions on how much each honour costs. Even the Torygraph seem pissed off about it

 

New Year Honours List 2013: Tory donors get gongs - Telegraph

 

Ha,ha. Irony overload.

[Trumo]

Is Prof Phil Scraton not on the list? Whether or not he himself or anyone on here values the honours system, some official recognition for his outstanding work would be highly deserved.

[Red Banjo]

Its absolutely ridiculous IMO.

 

Completely weakens what its supposed to stand for.

 

Sir Bradley Wiggins? Come on. What he did was an amazing achievement but save all the proper adulation and this type of thing for when he retires, and he contributes more than just what he does as his job.

 

Sir Ian Botham. Perfect example. Possibly the most famous English sportsman of his generation when he was at the peak of his powers. He inspired millions of people with his individual brilliance in a team game in 1981. Retired in 1992 having broken just about every record going in his sport. In the preceding years done countless things for charity, raising £12 million in the process. Awarded knighthood in 2007 after recognition at both his efforts on the cricket pitch and his subsequent money raising ventures.

[VladimirIlyich]

Its absolutely ridiculous IMO.

 

Completely weakens what its supposed to stand for.

 

Sir Bradley Wiggins? Come on. What he did was an amazing achievement but save all the proper adulation and this type of thing for when he retires, and he contributes more than just what he does as his job.

 

Sir Ian Botham. Perfect example. Possibly the most famous English sportsman of his generation when he was at the peak of his powers. He inspired millions of people with his individual brilliance in a team game in 1981. Retired in 1992 having broken just about every record going in his sport. In the preceding years done countless things for charity, raising £12 million in the process. Awarded knighthood in 2007 after recognition at both his efforts on the cricket pitch and his subsequent money raising ventures.

 

Excellent post and great examples too.

[Rex Banner]

It's basically like getting a gold star for a good effort these days right?

[Champ]

Cant remember the details now but they mentioned the numbers of civil servants getting honours. I was happy to see the achievers of the Olympics/Paralympics recognised because of the pleasure those individuals have given me but the principle of 'doing your job and then some' or contributing to your community/doing 'good' for others over a long period in some capacity seem better measures for bestowing honours on people

[Bobby Hundreds]

It's bullshit. Knighthood for riding a bike and pretending to be Paul weller. Fuck that shit get rid of the whole lot, the house of lords, the knighthoods the royal family. Lets all grow up.

[TommyW]

disappointed in Wiggins, after all you've achieved why do you need a pat on the head from the Queen... doesnt make sense to me

 

Seems Danny Boyle turned a knighthood down on the basis he was “very proud to be an equal citizen”

 

top man

 

Brian Reade on Danny Boyle refusing a knighthood - Brian Reade - Mirror Online

 

Danny's a Boyle on the side of the Establishment in refusing a knighthood

 

ONE of the most illuminating conversations I had this year was with someone involved in the arty side of the Olympics.

He said that when they’d shown a film of the opening ceremony to Jeremy Hunt his face resembled George Bush’s as he was told the Twin Towers were under attack. (Think constipation.)

The then Culture Secretary wanted to know why the NHS was celebrated when the Second World War and Shakespeare weren’t.

To which a stunned creative team pointed out the Games isn’t a celebration of bombing guest nations and, as for Shakespeare, the ceremony opens with The Tempest. (Keep thinking -constipation.)

In contrast, it ¬inspired other Tories to diarrhoea of the verbal variety. Aidan Burley MP called it “leftie, multicultural c**p” and bloggers railed against nods to Ken Loach, ¬immigration and the Jarrow March.

Other senior Tories, such as Damien Green, tried to claim the liberal territory by writing a Daily Telegraph piece claiming Tories needed to pass the “Danny Boyle Test” to prove their modernity.

To which the first of 800 angry comments read: “We don’t want Danny Boyle’s Marxist tripe vision of Britain.”

How wonderful. Especially as the wider nation adored Boyle’s masterpiece.

It wasn’t a jingoistic flaunting of our Empire-ruling history but a heartfelt, funny and down-to-earth ¬celebration of the genius we have given to the world.

But the more it was lauded, the more a horrible fear grew that it would all end in tears as a grateful nation called for Boyle to be knighted.

The question many ¬socialists were bound to be asking come Christmas was whether Boyle would pass the Danny Boyle Test by staying true to his vision of equality and refusing to become a Knight of The British Empire.

Or accept it and ensure that ¬People’s Opening Ceremony went down as a cynical, opportunist sham. We shouldn’t have doubted him.

Unlike so many other phoney left-wingers (Sir Salman Rushdie, Dame Jenni Murray, Sir Alex Ferguson, Dame Helen Mirren etc) who leapt at the chance to join an Establishment elite they once railed against, Boyle said no.

Instead of coming out with patronising lies about accepting the honour on behalf of his people, he said he was already “very proud to be an equal citizen”, thus joining the ranks of glorious knighthood refuseniks like ¬Vanessa Redgrave, LS Lowry, Jack Jones and Albert Finney, who shunned the notion of having compatriots believe they are below them.

Thank you Danny Boyle for twice this year inspiring people to think in a different, intelligent, forward-looking way, about what is important in our country.

You may not be able to get a lackey to phone up the Ritz (owned by those gallant non-corporation tax-paying knights the Barclay brothers) to demand the best table, purely because you’re called Sir.

But any night you walk into a pub back in your native North you’ll be greeted with the -following words: Oh, Danny Boyle, the pints, the pints are calling.

[Baltar]

It's becoming ludicrous. With Wiggins you can at least say he's won Gold medals over multiple Olympic games but surely this should have been awarded later in his life? People are questioning why Mo Farah wasn't knighted. Are they serious? He won 2 golds in his entire life and that should give him the same 'rank' as the likes of Redgrave and Botham? Come on. How come Kenny hasn't been given a knighthood? He's done more than most of these new 'knights' put together.

[Bjornebye]

load of old bollocks. fucking hate this country sometimes.

[lifetime fan]

disappointed in Wiggins, after all you've achieved why do you need a pat on the head from the Queen... doesnt make sense to me

 

Seems Danny Boyle turned a knighthood down on the basis he was “very proud to be an equal citizen”

 

top man

 

Brian Reade on Danny Boyle refusing a knighthood - Brian Reade - Mirror Online

 

Danny's a Boyle on the side of the Establishment in refusing a knighthood

 

ONE of the most illuminating conversations I had this year was with someone involved in the arty side of the Olympics.

He said that when they’d shown a film of the opening ceremony to Jeremy Hunt his face resembled George Bush’s as he was told the Twin Towers were under attack. (Think constipation.)

The then Culture Secretary wanted to know why the NHS was celebrated when the Second World War and Shakespeare weren’t.

To which a stunned creative team pointed out the Games isn’t a celebration of bombing guest nations and, as for Shakespeare, the ceremony opens with The Tempest. (Keep thinking -constipation.)

In contrast, it ¬inspired other Tories to diarrhoea of the verbal variety. Aidan Burley MP called it “leftie, multicultural c**p” and bloggers railed against nods to Ken Loach, ¬immigration and the Jarrow March.

Other senior Tories, such as Damien Green, tried to claim the liberal territory by writing a Daily Telegraph piece claiming Tories needed to pass the “Danny Boyle Test” to prove their modernity.

To which the first of 800 angry comments read: “We don’t want Danny Boyle’s Marxist tripe vision of Britain.”

How wonderful. Especially as the wider nation adored Boyle’s masterpiece.

It wasn’t a jingoistic flaunting of our Empire-ruling history but a heartfelt, funny and down-to-earth ¬celebration of the genius we have given to the world.

But the more it was lauded, the more a horrible fear grew that it would all end in tears as a grateful nation called for Boyle to be knighted.

The question many ¬socialists were bound to be asking come Christmas was whether Boyle would pass the Danny Boyle Test by staying true to his vision of equality and refusing to become a Knight of The British Empire.

Or accept it and ensure that ¬People’s Opening Ceremony went down as a cynical, opportunist sham. We shouldn’t have doubted him.

Unlike so many other phoney left-wingers (Sir Salman Rushdie, Dame Jenni Murray, Sir Alex Ferguson, Dame Helen Mirren etc) who leapt at the chance to join an Establishment elite they once railed against, Boyle said no.

Instead of coming out with patronising lies about accepting the honour on behalf of his people, he said he was already “very proud to be an equal citizen”, thus joining the ranks of glorious knighthood refuseniks like ¬Vanessa Redgrave, LS Lowry, Jack Jones and Albert Finney, who shunned the notion of having compatriots believe they are below them.

Thank you Danny Boyle for twice this year inspiring people to think in a different, intelligent, forward-looking way, about what is important in our country.

You may not be able to get a lackey to phone up the Ritz (owned by those gallant non-corporation tax-paying knights the Barclay brothers) to demand the best table, purely because you’re called Sir.

But any night you walk into a pub back in your native North you’ll be greeted with the -following words: Oh, Danny Boyle, the pints, the pints are calling.

 

 

Brilliant.

[lifetime fan]

'Republican' Cherie Blair accepts CBE.

[Champ]

It's bullshit. Knighthood for riding a bike and pretending to be Paul weller. Fuck that shit get rid of the whole lot, the house of lords, the knighthoods the royal family. Lets all grow up.

 

load of old bollocks. fucking hate this country sometimes.

 

Referring to my earlier post I think the idea of recognising people who have done extraordinary things, often for no personal monetary gain, is a good thing; its the structure that we have of the ruling elite bestowing honours that far too often recognise patronage of the Establishment that is wrong

[VladimirIlyich]

Referring to my earlier post I think the idea of recognising people who have done extraordinary things, often for no personal monetary gain, is a good thing; its the structure that we have of the ruling elite bestowing honours that far too often recognise patronage of the Establishment that is wrong

 

Did Wiggins get paid for the tour de france?

[TheBitch]

Know your place lackeys.

[VladimirIlyich]

Know your place lackeys.

 

Yes Sir.

[TheBitch]

 

Er' date=' Kate Bush? What has she been doing that I've been missing?

 

[/quote']

 

Similar to Bradley Wiggins. She's been running up hills since 1985.

[TheBitch]

 

Yes Sir.

 

*pats Vlad on head*

 

That's the way, lackey.

[Edward.]

It was an interesting day out when my Wife got her OBE. Expensive night.

[lifetime fan]

Honours for cabinet reshuffle casualties

 

Several MPs who lost their jobs in David Cameron's cabinet reshuffle are to get honours, it has been announced.

 

The prime minister is to recommend to the Queen that former Commons leader Sir George Young be appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour.

 

There will be knighthoods for former agriculture minister James Paice and ex-Solicitor General Edward Garnier.

 

Former defence ministers Nick Harvey and Gerald Howarth will also become knights, Downing Street said.

 

In Mr Cameron's reshuffle, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was replaced by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

 

Honours committee

 

Elsewhere, Chris Grayling replaced Justice Secretary Ken Clarke and Transport Secretary Justine Greening was moved to become International Development Secretary.

 

The announcement of the honours comes after a controversy over which Team GB Olympians would be recognised.

 

Downing Street denied the existence of a quota system, limiting the number of British athletes who could receive awards in the New Year Honours list.

 

Speculation that some athletes may miss out was triggered by Jonathan Stephens, a senior civil servant at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who told the BBC that medals would not mean an "automatic gong".

 

Sporting honours are recommended to the Palace by a committee independent of the government.

 

The honours lists are published twice a year at New Year and in mid-June on the date of The Queen's official birthday

[G Richards]

I think the whole thing is fairly meaningless. I'm happy enough for the average person (non celebrity, nor rich businessman) to receive recognition for good deeds, but then again, doing good is its own reward, and the problem with the system is that if you are truly deserving, you are at risk of being lumped in with lots who are not; conversely, lots of deserving people are overlooked as they continue to go about their business.

 

It's a throwback to a former day and best scrapped, in my view.

 

Well done to Danny Boyle for refusing his award, and also for the comment about being happy to be an equal citizen. Like it.

[Champ]

Did Wiggins get paid for the tour de france?

 

Oh, I'm quite sure Wiggins gets paid very well. Maybe my points didint come across very well. Given the system we have and from my own personal point of view I was pleased for him getting the award but my OP pointed to my opinion that the current system is massively flawed. However, I dont think I would like to see awards abolished completely and do think there is a place for recognising the 'unsung heroes' who very often contribute to their community/wider society without financial or other reward