To think the honours system is rotten

[sandrabedminster]

Just that really. No im not jealous, I'd never accept one if I was offered it. Yes a few people that have done a lot of charity get them. But mostly it seems to be civil servants get them for just doing their job. Or business people with very unscrupulous practices.

[CatThiefKeith]

YANBU.

I find it creepy that so many high profile paedophiles have had them too. I'd like to see more ordinary people that do something extraordinary recognised.

[molyholy]

Yanbu and I really do judge 'celebrities' who accept these. Danny Boyle turned one down and said he doesn't agree with elitism. Its also disgusting when celebs actively seek one out. Tax dodger Gary Barlow aprings to mind. Urgh. The whole system. And as pp said, tonnes of peadophiles in the establishement have been given them. Sickening

[OTheHugeManatee]

YANBU. The Lords appointee system is even more corrupt.

[pilkio]

Yes, especially when we have to work our arses off to attain one and pay through the nose also.

[OurBlanche]

Oh! We have a few round here, lovely people who got one because their local community put them up for one, all have only worked within the community, never out in the wider world. Rural backwater here too!

[BackforGood]

YANBU
I don't think anyone should get one for doing the job they are paid to do be that a civil servant, 'services to industry', my local lollipop lady, or actors / singers / sports stars.
People who volunteer over 40 odd years are the people who should be being recognised.

[OurBlanche]

Yaeh, those lollipop ladies are terrors for free medal, aren't they

[FireTruckOhFireTruck]

YANBU, it needs an overhaul.

[MrsJayy]

Gary Barlow is so desperate for a sirhood he is at the opening of a royal envelope its very funny. I dont think its just celebs who get them just we dont see the others on the list it seems really out dated

[MrsJayy]

But these volunteers do get them just its not publicised i know a woman with 1 cant remember if its O or M she worked in womens health and volunteered for a refuge for decades before it was commonplace to volunteer at womens refuges she is well into her 80s

[MermaidofZennor]

Makes me laugh when an actor gets knighted for "services to acting". That's their job, surely? Can I have one for services to cleaning the bathroom, cooking dinner, doing the laundry? No? Thought not. So why should they?

[BackforGood]

Not sure what you mean with the confused face and comment OurBlanche ?
The lollipop lady at our school got one (an MBE I think it was but am happy to be corrected on that) because she's got up and done her job for 40 years. I'm not sure why that constitutes getting some national recognition from the Queen - a certificate, cup of tea and a bun from the local council maybe, but ultimately, she's done what lots of people do, that is, gone to work.
I know someone else who got an OBE for his Services to Industry. He may have been good at his job (no idea) but he was - once again - paid to do that job.
There are literally thousands of people who volunteer (as well as doing their job) for hours and hours every week / month / year and make such a valuable contribution to the community, and I think it is them that should be publically recognised

[MrsJayy]

The civilians get nominated though so parents or somebody at school must have nominated lollypop lady as going above her job iyswim. Kevin spacey got 1 recently for what i dunno being Kevin spacey I guess

[ChablisTyrant]

Yep, the civil servants thing is just bizarre. They are just a bunch of people doing fairly unremarkably jobs for a decent wage and pension. Don't need special recognition over the rest of us who work in public service.

[MermaidofZennor]

I've said on here before, but I have far more respect for people who turn down an offer of an honour. If it is a rotten system, then if you have gone over and above your work/charity etc to do something really worth recognition, then would it not be better to decline association with an honours system that is despised by some? It would, for me, taint what I had been recognised for if someone famous could virtually buy their way to an honour.

[Baconyum]

I have huge respect for the people who've turned them down.

Outdated elitist tripe! Like anything to do with the royal family!

[Noodledoodledoo]

My cousin got one for doing her civil service job. It did seem to be 'you have been here for 3 years so here's the first one' kind of thing.

Although to be fair in terms of her job she was working for the Foreign office and was based in Egypt during the revolution, then moved on to Libya to help rebuild after the civil war, and would have been heading to Syria but was posted in Turkey instead as Syria was considered unsafe!

So there is part of me that thinks - it was just your job - but the flip side is it was a pretty tough job as well!

[Baconyum]

Plenty of people do bloody tough jobs in dangerous circumstances...

Military, emergency services...

[ohmygodyouguys]

Professor Sue Black has been awarded a damehood, she is a well known and very highly respected forensic anthropologist at the University of Dundee and has helped to solve a huge number of high profile cases. People like her thoroughly deserve their awards.

Mind you, I also think that Ant and Dec deserve their OBEs, I love those two!

[MrsJayy]

I hope ant and Dec are knighted before Gary Barlow

[milbracat]

YANBU, but they are all pretty meaningless anyway as Britain no longer has an empire to be a member, order or commander of.

I hope that those who refuse them have the dignity to decline quietly and not make a vulgar show of their decision.

[AntiqueSinger]

YANBU

As has been said previously I have huge respect for those who refuse them on principle.

IMO the only people who should receive honours should be those who have volunteered and those in the armed services. Where are the rewards for the Soldiers who leave for service completely able bodied and return gravely wounded? They don't get much, if anything.

As for celebrities. I think there should be an outright ban on any actors, presenters, musicians or performers receiving them. Why reward someone for doing their job (for which they are handsomely paid and, in the case of celebs often excessively recognised already) because they are famous?. It smacks as a form of vain glorious, social engineering; a way of getting talented people in an elitist circle and removing them from their original class and beginnings, thus ensuring that they and their future generations will remain forever associated, grateful and enthralled to a wealthy, privileged subset of influential people, more or less forever.

It all stinks.

[TheDrsDocMartens]

I liked that someone got an award for services to plumbing.

[OurBlanche]

That's nice of you Back that means that I could get one any day now...

The face was because I know a few people who have been honoured. None of them are known outside their immediate area, all of them were put forward by their community, who valued their services. So if a community wants to thank a lollipop lady who has kept generations of kids safe then why should you, or anyone else, decry that?

You can disagree with the system without pissing on other peoples joy in it, cant you?

[Marynary]

YANBU. I know a few people who have been given OBEs and they aren't called "other buggers efforts" for nothing.