New Years Honours

70 percent of the honours go to people who do good in the community, so much deserved. But I don't knock all the celebs who get them as many of them do good works for various charities.
I'm particularly pleased about Chris Packham as he has done so much for conservation, and raising awareness of what is happening regards endangered species, danger to the planet etc.

I suppose the ubiquitous "lollipop woman/man" will have been lobbed an MBE in this annual farce just to demonstrate that 'ordinary people' don't go unnoticed......

hentha interesting statistic, please could you say where it came from? It surprises me because when I looked at the list it looked like a lot of civil servants.

I find the whole system a ridiculous anachronism that allows powerful people to reimburse, or buy, favours. The ‘lower’ honours are simply a means to make it more acceptable to the plebs! It irritates the hell out of me!

The 70 percent was mentioned on the BBC news website on my mobile phone this morning. It also said that women receive 47 percent of honours.
I just had another look and it's still there. Together with lots of other details and statistics.

I am pleased Doddie Weir was awarded OBE be has used his illness to raise awareness and do so much good

My old boss was promoted from OBE to CBE for his many selfless decades of service to young people.

Good luck to him.

Bigred18 Becks missed out because of his dodgy tax arrangements! It was in the paper this morning as he and others were involved in the tax avoidance scam of a few years ago - hence no Sir Becks, or Sir Gary of Take That!!

I'm rather more impressed with the "celebrities" who, for various reasons, refused to accept their gongs. David Bowie, Alan Bennett et al.....

There are many many people who do such good for others and go unrecognised. They are most deserving, I feel.

I believe Twiggy does charity work
I think they are a harmless way of rewarding people for their good works

No, not service to the fashion industry - Lesley Hornby (Twiggy) has done soooo much in her lifetime for charity

Civil Service Honours are different to the ones awarded to members of the public & celebrities. I worked for HMRC when it was the Inland Revenue, a Chairman was appointed for a few years & ended up with his "Award", cynical but true, we "plebs" knew when he was appointed it was only a matter of time. I heard yesterday of a local couple who have been Honoured for services to the Community.

Actually I think my husband deserves an honour. He has been teaching pilots to fly for 30 years. Often when we are on a holiday flight he will mention that he taught the pilot. I guess I'm just saying, there are many ordinary, hard working people who won't be honoured.

the whole system is a joke ...just like the UK ..the world is laughing its socks off at us.A government who BUYS support !

Inishowen I dont understand why ANYONE should get a gong for doing the job they are/were paid to do.Surely the pay is the reward ?If you dont like the pay or the work ...change it !

If we are going to give honours for services to industry then Twiggy is as deserving as anyone else. When we were a manufacturing nation, fashion was a large part of our economy, providing very many decent jobs, particularly for women. Twiggy is a symbol of the time when we led the world in fashion and design, and of a time when an ordinary girl like her could rise to the top of her profession. And yes, modelling is a profession as any fashion designer could tell you.

NfkDumpling, "poor" David Beckham scuppered his chances of ever getting a knighthood when he complained on Twitter in the nastiest language that he'd been passed over again, even bitching about Katherine Jenkins who had been honoured.
He has an MBE or one of those already.

I was being sarcastic Hannah!

When we married in 1970 we lived next to where my hubby was a farm worker. He has always kept pigs and we fenced off a piece of ground so we could keep some. The one sow was very friendly and so we called her TWIGGY. I wouldn't let him sell her like all the others.

Outdated, out moded system of "attaboys".

I have no objection to giving out night hoods, dames awards, honours but what about those who life has been twenty four seven in saving or repairing lives. Doctors, nurses. fire fighters. medics. Dedicated but rarely noticed.

One of the men who rescued the boys trapped underground lives locally, he is very unassuming and when interviewed on local radio today said his reward was reuniting the boys with their families.

I don't have a problem for people getting a recognition for their work, their volunteering or courage. It's not as if they get a huge sum of money with it. I think it is rather sad that we can't recognise achievement without the negative comments.

I agree with you about Crossing Patrol people,Anniebach
They are doing a job which suits them and if they decided to do the same job for many years so what?
why give them a gong?
David Beckham?
No way
This is a man who has a vast amount of money and is therefore able to escape prosecution for speeding by paying someone to get him off.
As for Celebrities being awarded a "gong" for their Charity Work it must be easy to give money away if one has a vast amount of it.
I telephoned someone who has a Knighthood because he was involved with a homeless Charity.
I had a lot of good quality warm clothing to give away last January.
I asked where I could take the clothes to the people who. would benefit and was told he didn't know because he was on the Board!
Give a Knighthood to the men who risked their lives in saving the young footballers in Thailand,to those in medicine who discover a cure for serious diseases ,not to so called Celebrities
(Sorry Annie Bach I now see you mentioned the Cave Rescue people)
I went right off Jenni Murray when she was on Celebrity University Challenge and said her name was Dame Jenni Murray.
Bah humbug.