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.

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.

I agree entirely.

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

Ridiculous imho. Lots of people do absolutely amazing things.

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.

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

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

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

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 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 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.

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.

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

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

So well deserved - he's true inspiration

well done to the old soldier, i wonder when all the key workers are to be knighted?

I have no problem with Sir Tom being knighted. However, all he actually did was accept a challenge from his family to do 100 laps of his garden for charity. It was the television and social media that blew this up to the proportions it achieved.

What about all the medics and volunteers who are risking their lives to help us, will they all get knight/damehoods? I doubt it.

Will the medical staff get paid appropriately for the difficult and highly skilled jobs they do every day? I doubt it.

Sir Tom's knighthood is a PR exercise. I don't begrudge him the honour but I feel that there are many, many others who are more deserving. I expect to be shot down by saying this.

He really is an inspiration all over the world and has a lovely sense of humour too. I have a friend in Minnesota USA and she tells me the state Governor spoke about him in one of his recent public addresses. I do hope The Queen is able to knight him as he hopes.

And not before time either! Long overdue in my opinion! Well done!

Well done Sir Tom. A well deserved knighthood which makes a change ! A lovely gentleman indeed.

very pleased for him. there is so much more about this man. He was in the Burma campaign did anyone else see the piece about this that was shown on VE day?
you will find more if you google him

A true gentleman. He has really been a positive influence during such difficult times. I will be Forever grateful to you Sir Tom.

So well deserved. A light in the dark in these grim times.

How wonderful, so deserving for a very sweet man. I can’t wait to see this happen and as Captain Tom said.’ I hope she is gentle with the sword’
Did anyone see the clip of him on Blankety Blank, when his girls were teenagers, priceless