Honours

Were there any honours awarded for services to banking this year?

Your FIL is exactly the sort of person who should be honoured.

I know that three times in the past ten years people have put forward my father in law to receive honours, but without success. There is no feedback as to why a person nominated doesn't receive an honour, but I have been told by people who are supposedly 'in the know' that because my father in law works (voluntarily) in the field of mental health he will never get recognition as it is still very much the poor relation even in the honours system. My father in law has no idea and would probably be embarrassed to know he's been nominated, but I do wish he could read some of the references people gave in support of the applications. He has been inspirational to hundreds of people and a lifesaver (literally) to at least a dozen. I love him and I'm very proud of him.

It's so arbitrary. Someone makes a list from those nominated. The media like some famous names so they're bound to get some. The nationals are not interested in people like the Bee Lady in Hull. I admit she got some coverage when she was on the Pride of Britain TV programme but that was because she'd made it to a national TV awards programme and was on with David Walliams. Prior to that they weren't interested in her.

If you haven't heard of the Bee Lady of Hull here she is:
www.itv.com/news/calendar/story/2013-10-15/the-bee-lady-of-hull/

It is particularly puzzling that sundry athletes and actors are honoured, but the team that managed to put Philae down on a comet while it was hurtling through space were completely overlooked. I hope that someone will recognise their brilliant achievement.

It is beyond me why so many athletes were honoured, and some with knighthoods after the games in London. It devalues it IMO, as another poster stated.

It was interesting to read that 74% of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity.

There were 1008 candidates
292. BEM's
473. MBE's
243. OBE's

Pleasing to read of GN's who have family members who have received awards. How very rewarding and proud you must be, quite rightly so.

Exactly. Should people get honours for simply doing their job. Surely it should be for something over and above the call of duty.

I've just looked at a site which purports to show the 12 most famous faces to receive honours today – I recognised two of them. Joan Collins and John Hurt. Joan Collins couldn't act her way out of a paper bag and, much as I respect John Hurt's talent, didn't he get paid for those roles in which he excelled? And a rugby team or at least some it?

My dad got an award for bravery for going up against a man who was wielding a machete in the street and he managed to get it off him and wait for the police to arrive. He was just turned 70 at the time. Very proud.

Those of you who have family members and spouses who have received honours are quite right to be very proud of them and their achievements and I assume you would be also just as proud even if their achievements had not been publicly recognised. Not trying in any way to take anything away.

I think people who have earned the awards by their works and efforts deserve to be recognised. It's the awards for the boys I can't stand.

Good post Gracesgran! I know I am a bit biased re DH, but he did do stalwart work with the charity for whom he worked. And I love him and am proud of him.

I am not really being very cerebral about all this, but like most of you continue to be shocked by the "celebrity" honours. Even then, I'd argue, say, Julie Walters worth over that of Joan Collins any day!

I have to agree that the Buggin's turn knighthoods, etc., that go to civil servants are not my idea of how the honours should be given. Nor is the way that you can only get certain honours depending on your rank in the forces.

However, I do think charity work is a good thing to honour and Esther Rantzen, who has started two very important charities, Child Line and Silver Line, does deserve to be honoured IMO. I have just heard about a couple who have been foster parents for a large number of children who have been honoured and I think people in this position should be recognised too.

Is this yet another problem with the press? They like the contentious awards so we hear disproportionately about those rather than the large number that go to lesser known people.

And I agree with you there, Vq. But, as harrigran says, some honours are truly deserved.

If my memory serves me correctly it was the Military Medal although I might be wrong.

The honours are given out in an hierarchical order with the highest i.e. the knighthood first followed by the others in descending order. As far as I'm concerned the act of bravery should have been awarded first followed by people who had done something over and above their jobs. A man being given a knighthood just because he's been a civil servant for 20 years shouldn't take priority.

Ok, I was the OP and I think we agree that some Honours are more deserved than others but I stick to my (personal) opinion that the List is past it's sell by date.

DH has an OBE, some are more deserved than others.

I think this is the worst honour bestowed this year.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/dec/30/labour-andrew-lansley-un-job-humanitarian

Andrew Lansley getting a humanitarian award?
I know it's not the same, but it was in the gift of the PM, and the British nominee has always had the job before.

My father-in-law was given an OBE by the Duke of Northumberland in Alnwick Castle, for his charity work.

teetime my DH has an OBE.

Vampirqueen

Was the soldier receiving an MBE like your father?

If as you say he was getting a medal for 'saving lives' I wonder if there is a protocol that meant he was last or even receiving another form of medal.

I think there is a place for 'awards' which do take various forms let's not forget. However I do think they are well past their sell by date when given to certain categories such as celebrity, sportsmen/women etc. Having said that 'some of them' perhaps do work that we don't know about and totally deserve to be included with Joe Blogs it could be quite wrong to deny them the opportunity just because of their celebrity status.

It's a case of the system destroying itself and the good intentions behind it by being so flippant in it's decision making and the lack of common sense as to why/who deserves to be awarded .

If that was the case then it does seem that he deserved to be further up the pecking order, but I don't know how the pecking order works on these occasions. I think it may have something to do with civilian divisions and military divisions, but perhaps someone on here knows more about it. At that time, in the normal course if events, a BEM would not merit a visit to the Palace; only MBEs upwards.

Greyduster, your DH obviously did something to earn his reward just like the young soldier who got his medal when my dad got his MBE.

My dad was proud to get his MBE but was horrified that the soldier who was left until last.

Gill lollipop ladies rarely get such an exalted award as a CBE! More likely the humbler MBE.

As for Joan Collins - I found her damehood the most surprising honour - have always thought of her as a little 'tacky' - hardly an acclaimed actress.

My DH was awarded a BEM whilst in the military, for his work in Northern Ireland. He had a private award ceremony in the Military Secretary's office with myself and our son, who was then 11 and quite overawed by the whole thing, and DH's best friend who was working in London at the time and was very kindly invited. They gave us a nice buffet lunch to boot! If he had been one rank higher at the time he was recommended for it, he would have got an MBE, and a bit later they did away with the BEM, but have just brought it back. He is very proud of it, but more so of the letter signed by the Queen. So, even though, if I'm honest, I think honours do seem to be dished out willy nilly, it would be quite hypocritical of me to say so!