The Birthday "Honours"

[mercalia]

I can never understand the "for services to ******* ( for a life long effort )

You dont see any of the also rans get them( who also have made a life long effort & commitment?) ? just those who who are lucky enough and talented ( = genetics ) to get the cream of success? and they then get more.

[Penfold]

Arise Sir Rod,

For services to various women all over the world and wearing tight trousers.

The whole celebrity, public figure awards thing is utter tosh imho

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
The list is vetted by the PM.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... lists-2016

Just look at some of the names and why they got awards, most are for doing their job, paid for by the tax payer..................
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... t_2016.pdf

[pete75]

Many of those receiving honours are getting them for activities carried out to enrich themselves. Rod Stewart for services to the music industry i.e. singing to make himself rich - a knighthood. A chap local to me who served as a volunteer fireman for almost 50 years a BEM - the lowest award in the honours list. Something wrong there.

[Cunobelin]

My MiL was one of the longest serving (and oldest) members of the British Red Cross.

When she retired at 90, she didn't get an honour, however she did get to go to a Garden Party where she met Prince Charles who stopped and chatted, it was personal and when he thanked her for her Service she was delighted.

[Audax67]

A civil servant chum of my father's once said that OBE stood for Other Bugger's Efforts.

[Mick F]

Why has Ruby Turner been recognised?

Why not Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi?
Status Quo have had over 60 chart hits in the UK.

What has she done?

[Tangled Metal]

Many of those receiving honours are getting them for activities carried out to enrich themselves. Rod Stewart for services to the music industry i.e. singing to make himself rich - a knighthood. A chap local to me who served as a volunteer fireman for almost 50 years a BEM - the lowest award in the honours list. Something wrong there.

Perhaps they should apply something like they do for the vc, where IIRC if the act of bravery involves self interest it's not awarded. One heroic act by the pilot of a seaplane (a u boat hunter) was shot up badly in an action. The pilot circled for as long as he could before he had to land. I can't remember the exact details but he was recommended for the vc and was mentioned in bravery however he was denied since he was saving his own life as well as his crew.

If you apply this to honours then you don't get one if what you did to earn the honour also benefited you. So making a shed load of money singing for a living means you have a very high level of self interest to do the service. If the person made little money just a basic living but served a section of society doing it then little self interest give them the honour.

So IMHO no civil servant above a certain level (say average national wage) gets an honour. No pop star, tv artist or sportsman/woman getting an honour unless their service is without self interest, especially monetary self interest. Perhaps minor sports people get them since they are unlikely to make big bucks. Jessica Ennis no, but if Britain ever has a judo Olympic gold medalist then give them a gong because they're not going to earn big money or a Santander deal. Yes the judo makes a living but for what they're doing in winning major competitions like the Olympics for their sport is likely to be big and their earnings aren't likely to be stella levels.

This might make it so hard to find people worthy that the person getting the BEM mentioned above might actually end up with a knighthood just because the celebrity and well rewarded senior civil.service isn't available for an honour.

BTW the BEM was once the only medal a working class person could get. The MBE and upwards was for middle or upper class IIRC. I believe that changed in the 90s I think but I thought the BEM had been stopped and people got the MBE instead. Shows how much I care about the honours system.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... /21206.htm
A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY
83. There was criticism of the fact that the names of the members of the honours committees and other details of the system are not made public.
For Jon Snow
"The process is extraordinarily obscure. No single person who has anything to do with the honours system appears to know quite how it works. I was not ever able to find anybody who could take us from Z to A".[69]

[pete75]

BTW the BEM was once the only medal a working class person could get. The MBE and upwards was for middle or upper class IIRC. I believe that changed in the 90s I think but I thought the BEM had been stopped and people got the MBE instead. Shows how much I care about the honours system.

It went and was then reintroduced in 2012 by David Cameron. As a Tory he likely thought it wrong working class folk were getting the same honours as their "betters". Incidentally it was abolished by John Major but he was a Conservative of an entirely different type to Cameron,

[Audax67]

BTW the BEM was once the only medal a working class person could get. The MBE and upwards was for middle or upper class IIRC. I believe that changed in the 90s I think but I thought the BEM had been stopped and people got the MBE instead. Shows how much I care about the honours system.

Nah - the Beatles were given MBEs back in the 60s - and a lot of existing MBEs sent theirs back in protest.

[al_yrpal]

Honours seem to go to folk who are at the top of their game whatever their field of activity (except if its criminal), its as simple as that I think. Our music industry is a world leader, Britain punches well above its weight internationally. The industry is a huge success story, it employs thousands and earns lots of foreign currency for the UK benefiting the balance of payments. In that way the honours system becomes more understandable. Music stars remuneration is generally paltry especially when compared to that of the millionaires employed to kick inflated pigs bladders around fields.
Charity workers do get recognised but only if people put them forward to be recognised. For most the satisfaction from giving their time and effort and seeing the result is its own reward.

Al

[pete75]

Music stars remuneration is generally paltry especially when compared to that of the millionaires employed to kick inflated pigs bladders around fields.

Al

Really?

http://www.therichest.com/top-lists/top ... musicians/

http://www.richestlifestyle.com/networt ... /football/

[pete75]

BTW the BEM was once the only medal a working class person could get. The MBE and upwards was for middle or upper class IIRC. I believe that changed in the 90s I think but I thought the BEM had been stopped and people got the MBE instead. Shows how much I care about the honours system.

Nah - the Beatles were given MBEs back in the 60s - and a lot of existing MBEs sent theirs back in protest.

Paul, John and George were ex Grammar school boys which certainly passed for middle class in the sixties.

[al_yrpal]

Generally… .

Al