Knighthoods, and some other honours being devalued

The honours system was invented to help early monarchs to keep control of their nobles. A gift here and an honour their kept their friends close and themselves in power. It was nothing to do with the people. Time to do away with it.

I went to an investiture one year. The only person who truly deserved an award was a young soldier who had performed acts of extreme bravery and saved many lives. The first person to be honoured was a top diplomat who was getting his knighthood which seems to be part of the promotion system for top civil servants. He hadn't done anything over and above his job for which he was very, very well paid. Guess who was the last person in the queue to be honoured.

arrggghhh .....there not their

Great! We're now going to get inundated with more Tofu TV ads courtesy of Sur Mo Farah

Back in the 70s I worked for a Nobel Prize Winner in the medical research field who went on to receive a well deserved Knighthood.

I also worked for a Dame .... Who received her title for her devoted and ground breaking work in consumer protection etc.

Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, Phillip Green. All other more recent recipients of 'Honours'.
Hmmmm

Not forgetting Mick Jagger. Still love the Stones music but a knighthood for Mick.
A totally anti establishment figure back in the day! Crazy.

It's the New Year. I must stop ranting. I can feel my blood pressure rising .....

I agree with Vampirequeen. These people choose to take up and continue with (for example) sport or acting. Why should they benefit even further by getting an obselete honour from The Empire. What Empire? We are a very small nation in the grand scheme of things. These honoured people are revered anyway (by others, not me) and have enough recognition and also financial recompense.
It all needs to be discontinued.
Awards or honours should remain for those who are really deserving not just for doing the job you choose to do.

I think we only hear about the famous who get honours. I am sure if the whole list was looked at we would find some really interesting people.

Over two thirds were awarded to people only known in their own community

floorflock, no mrmber if the armed forces should receive an award because it's their job for which they are paid? No one in the field of medicine if they are in employment?

Yes I agree they are being devalued by the celebrities they give them too. When was the last time Victoria B even visited this country,she chooses to live in America. The clip that was shown on TV when announcing her award was of her fashion show. Everyone was waiting for her to appear as the designer. She appeared at the entrance to the catwalk, gave one of her smirks and walked away. She showed herself for 2 seconds and all those people applauding and waiting to see her. That warrants an award? Well the establishment made Jimmy Saville a sir which gave him more power to abuse so that says it all really.

I think they are totally devalued and should only be given for outstanding work in the community.
Athletes, actors etc are well paid, (overpaid), and are unneccessarily fawned on.
As for Murray - no matter what his physical achievements he is an unpleasant foul-mouthed character with a foul-mouthed mother and a foul-mouthed wife. I don't admire him at all though I am a huge tennis fan and do concede that he can play tennis.

Camilla Long, writing in the Sunday Times, sums up the Beckham farce beautifully.

I am, as always, amazed at the hate women have for Victoria Beckham. And since most seem uncharacteristically silent on the matter, I will state now that I am 100 times happier that Victoria got her honour than I am that Justine Roberts got one - for 'services to the economy'

Anniebach
I consider the armed forces and medicine a completely different kettle of fish to entertainment.
They are positive jobs, not 'fun' jobs.
Athletes and entertainers tend to choose that profession because they want to, which usualy involves self gain. Service men/women and doctors do the job to protect/assist others.. it's simply not the same at all. They are opposite extremes of this scale.

The majority chose their occupations , so the lady who received an honour for being a lollipop pop lady for many years and was in paid occupation didn't deserve it?

I know someone who is a retired civil servant who was given the Order of the Bath. They said it's sort of routine, if you had been at a high level in the CS for a long time.

We were at a local street fair last summer; lots of jolly entertainment for the children, and little granddaughter won a prize. The stall holder said 'Right - what would you like? A teddy, or a knighthood?'

Highly amusing but also, sadly, indicating the current opinion of this 'gong'.

A lollipop lady isn't doing the job to say 'look at me' and therefore deserves it.
Entertainers & athlete's say just that 'Look at me, aren't I great'. They are not selfless.

Then you don't know athletes

How about all the surgeons and doctors who perform miracles and save lives. They're my heros

Where's mine? Nearly 70 years of cooking, cleaning, ironing, washing and bringing up children. Oh well, there's always next year.

Librarylady,
You're not wrong.

I think titles are daft why would anyone want to becalled, Lord, Sir, Baroness or anything else ans sometimes expect to be treated differently too. Of course we should respect and applaud anyone who has contributed to society but to give them silly titles makes no sense.

Anniebach A lot of soap stars have. Johnny Briggs who played Mike Baldwin, the actress who played Vera Duckworth. I can't be bothered to check but I think it's an unusual honours list that doesn't include at least one.

Thank you Jaycee

I don't think anyone should get one for their chosen profession or employment, be that lollipop lady, actor, sportsman or doctor. Unless they have gone very much above and beyond in terms of national excellence. Nor should it be the preserve of charitable work- it's in the gift of the queen for her to reward/acknowledge outstanding citizens for their contribution to the country/ monarchy. As a monarchist I wouldn't want it to stop, however I do understand that making your money designing horrid (IMHO) dresses doesn't warrant an award unless it comes with HUGE export earnings for the Country or you have performed many services for the Crown or Nation beyond making your company money. I had an acquaintance receive one for services to agriculture - yes he had spent his life furthering husbandry of rare breeds etc. He was an ordinary guy who hadn't contributed to the Crown etc. His family was hugely proud but he'd done nothing but do his job very well.... many people work extra hard, long or free with no acknowledgement. Do these things for their own rewards - honours belong to the VERY few.., I can think of about 6 or 7 holders I think should be knights - all are rather old and stuffy and have usually been acknowledged already in other ways.

A 96 year old lady in Birkenhead has turned up at a homeless mission to help feed people every day for the last 80 years, now she does deserve an honour unlike Vicky Beckham