New .years .Honours

nannysue the knighthood was for services to music and charity. Ringo Starr does a lot of work for charity. If you Google him you will see all the causes he supports. He also started a charitable foundation in 2001 with his wife Barbara Bach called the Lotus Foundation and you can read about the causes it supports here

Lotus Foundation

and thats her choice Annie but its still flawed and corrupt...many "honours" are bought and paid for others got by the back door by toadying to politicians or politicians toadying to get something in return...not MY idea of honourable at all.But whatever you're comfortable with.Like the monarchy its out of date .It only serves to confirm a "class " divide.The I have a title so I'm better than you...like the two Ronnie sketch

What has Ringo Starr done that deserves a knighthood? He was lucky enough to get to play drums with the Beatles and did some voiceover work on the back of that for Thomas the Tank Engine. This completely devalues the honour of a knighthood.

The system has been degraded over many years. If it was scrapped now that would mean all those who really do deserve an honour would miss out and that could be particularly sensitive for them looking at all those idiots who have had an honour they do not really deserve. Not an easy problem to resolve.

So PaddyAnn, you think the people around the country who have been awarded an honour are either in cahoots with a corrupt system or are proud of something they should be ashamed of because they didn't earn their honour it was a fiddle ?

A member of my extended family, age 101, is pleased to accept hers, she places it second only to being made an honourary Bard , and she is no fool

Paddyann Totally agree with you, a flawed and corrupt system. It should be done away with.

only if you believe in the system Annie..a very flawed system at best and corrupt at its worst

Sorry I cannot agree W11girl, an honour now to people who work in their community means as much as your friend's meant to her

My friend was awarded an MBE in 1971 when such things mattered. She received it for her hard work in the local community. These days these things are handed out like sweets and mean little or nothing to the wider population.

Wikipedia has details of people who refused and why in lots of cases. It is more up to date than the one jen kindly posted.

List of people who turned down British honours

Don't know why, but I am surprised Bernice Eccleston refused.

Jane, it was said that Roald Dahl did just that, but died before he received the knighthood.

there is NO British Empire however much the some like to believe there still is...so WHY give out empire medals..its clearly ridiculous .We have enough stupidity over class systems without these stupid honours making some think they are superior beings...I remember a story about a famous actor whose friend called him by his first name ...he refused to answer until his friend ...of many years ...amended the request and called him Sir D....I'd have said bye bye to him and NOT added Sir to that either .

Some turn down anything to do with empire but accept a CH later on because they think it's not the same as an empire medal.

Interesting list of refusers dj. I see that some refused then the ante was upped and they were offered higher honours and still refused. I wonder if some people refuse eg an OBE and hope to get a knighthood next time round?

www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2017/dec/29/local-government-fire-police-2018-new-year-honours-list

Jon Snow turned one down, then investigated the system.

Having been offered an OBE in 2000, and turned it down at the very least because I was a working journalist, I was motivated to find out more about how the whole thing worked.

It's an outbreak of moaning to beat all others, though, Jalima.
Mention of the honours system does not bring everybody together; some like it, some don't.

This is why Benjamin Zephaniah turned his down.

OBE, me? Up yours, I thought...I get angry when I hear that word “empire”; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised.

Nooo djen, grumppa mentioned bringing the nation together not tearing it apart!

The weather usually does the trick

I think L S Lowry refused the most over his lifetime.

docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AonYZs4MzlZbdG9mbm5mZGVqVXBmbDRYNkprczM1QUE

A list of refusers for you, Newquay.
There are others.

Isn't that brexit, grumppa. That'll go on for ever.

Yes, it is heartening to know that most honours go to those who are relatively unknown, except perhaps in their local communities.

Perhaps we needed something to bring us all together, grumppa!

Wonder how a list of refuseniks could be published? Anyone know?

Thank you Jalima, so 70% of the honours go to those unknown to us, for me if a pop star gets one and a few politicians then fine, I am happy for the 70%