Sir Tom

My thought exactly Quizzer.
Not s popular thing to say but true.

Nice to see Boris managed to come out of hiding to make the statement.

This is a recognition of more than Captain Tom's walk. It's another tribute to a generation who went through so much more fear and danger than this current one, and lived for six years with unimaginable strain and daily horrors. He has lifted hearts, inspired disabled children to try the same, and given everyone something to smile about. I don't think comparing his effort to anyone else is appropriate (my Mother always said 'comparisons are odious') and there will be a right time to recognise the wonderful efforts of others.

I think the honour is absolutely deserved. Knights were originally those who did great service selflessly for their country, which he has done.
However I also agree that there are countless others in key worker posts who should be recognised, and a small recognition would be a well deserved pay rise. However I read in various places in the press that they will be subject to a pay freeze and that is clearly unacceptable and the government need to address this injustice.

I don't think he's 'hiding' Nicolaed - he's probably got a fair degree of lung damage and is only weeks away from near death. In those circumstances, pacing would be crucial and unavoidable. Give the man a break, whatever your politics!

I'm with you both @NotSpaghetti and @Quizzer. Not a popular thing to say in the euphoria of all this and the lovely comments posted but to my mind this is a PR exercise to soften the blow of awful tragedies this virus has brought about, the inadequate way the UK care homes have been treated and the loss of front line carers.

I'm sorry @Rosina but if he's not fit then he shouldn't be in charge of the country.

I understand what Quizzer means but I am pleased for him nonetheless.

I agree with you all.
A knight in shining armour.

I am glad he was knighted. I feel angry when footballers, celebrities and senior NHS managers and senior Civil Servants get New Years honours. Why do they get awards for doing something they are richly rewarded for already. Let's have honours for the medics, nurses and care workers.

Ridiculous imho. Lots of people do absolutely amazing things.

I was chatting with a friend about 'captain tom' their reply was 'if it would have been say, a binman in his working life would it have gained so much publicity off the media/establishment?' Food for thought there

I agree entirely.

Wonderful! A beacon of hope in this crazy time.
He is an inspiration to us all & it is good to see something worthwhile happening for him.
I got quite emotional when I heard.
Well done SIR Tom.

Quizzer - I won't be the one to shoot you down!

I do think it's a PR thing, of course but hey, he raised an absolute fortune so fair enough. But what I'd have really loved would have been for him to turn it down as a protest at the government's ongoing useless attitude to the NHS generally (especially given the likelihood of losing so many essential staff when Brexit kicks in), the lack of organisation re PPE, the consistently low pay and the hopeless muddle over virus testing.

A true positive to come out of this horrible situation. I bet he never thought all of these wonderful things, a spitfire fly pass and a knighthood would happen on his 100th birthday, when all he was thinking of was others. Well deserved award for a change.

Yes, he deserves a medal. More so than many folk who get them. He lifted my spirits.
At the same time, Quizzer and Co, I agree with your posts. It's a distraction from the harsh reality of Covid Britain. That Bill going through Parliament just now is a disgrace.

Well done Sir Tom! X

Well done Sir Tom. Let’s hope that the same honour doesn’t go to overpaid, egotistical ‘celebs’ for ‘their work for charity’. Most can afford their charitable giving when there are others equally as charitable who do it quietly with no fuss.

Quizzer you're right, as actual personal achievement it was minor, but I think they're holding him up as a sort of example and it did lift a lot of people's spirits as well as making a shedload of money for the NHS. So it was all very on-message and I think that's why he's getting it.

Not many veterans is WWll left now. An excellent example of an older person who looks for the best in things. His knighthood represents the gratitude we all feel for all veterans who went to fight so we would have freedom. During lock down it made us all realise how much we value our freedom. Congratulations Sir Tom, your family must be so proud of you.

If ever there was a deserved knighthood then he is the right person.

It’s lovely he got knighted. For once a true Knight gets it ! Not a P Green.
But another thing I’ve been banging on about everywhere ( twitter etc) is I really really think there should be a special Queens medal or Gold 2020 medal for all those key people in NHS, supermarkets that got us through this terrifying ( maybe not so much now but was) pandemic ! One lady I know is an ICU nurse who risked her life, watched 20/30 people die nursing them up to the last minute so they didn’t die alone, doing day after day of 12 hour shifts. These people and those who worked in supermarkets, delivered our food , they all deserve our thanks and acknowledgement and recognition !! Not just oh back to normal and carry on.
Sorry didn’t mean to detract from Sir Tom.

Please google Captain Tom and find that he done much more in his life than raise money for nhs. He may have got the knighthood for raising the money but that is just a small portion of his life story! He was in India and Burma during WW2 yes, just like many others but he has a story to tell!

Hurray!
It’s a bit of good news and not really political unless you see it that way. It has actually boosted a lot of similar fundraising activities, so a double bonus.

In a way it’s about as useful as going out to clap/sing/play instruments on a Thursday.
It achieves nothing in terms of raising pay, or saving lives, but makes you feel good and cheers some of the NHS staff and other key workers.