Never knew they taught PE at Oxford. They tend to give prison sentences for the things you may have contributed to society not honours.
hear hang on a minute. whose the one that spent 2weeks getting rehabilitated at her Majesty's expense? or is that still a sore point. if you know what i mean.
The Honours system just sounds a tad archaic. Sure a few local notables get a pat on the head, I have a Certificate for an MBE given to my grandfather signed by QEII, but most of the time smacks of favours given for services rendered; all part of the political merry go round. Plus ca change Pete.
Yes, that was pretty much my understanding. I find it odd, on that basis, that hugely successful musicians rarely get them. They have advanced an art, given great pleasure to literally millions on a daily basis and have enhanced Britain's status in the world. Maybe they are just too controversial for Whitehall, although someone like Gilmour isn't controversial at all.
The Gov has put me up for a total of 6wks for driving offences involving lambrettas. but when in 1986 you fine a lad over £2000 in fines when said lad is of no fixed abode and currently working for age concern for a pittance, how the fek would you expect him to pay it? By the end after constant returns for non payment and additional costs my fine was over 4k. 2wks in ville sorted that. A few months later i was traveling to do an old biddies garden and got caught riding on a ban. 4wks for that. waste of fucking time. although being left with nought but mike gattings autobiography in the cell to read I'd say they owe me for mental cruelty. Although i did find a copy of Wilt later and have been a Tom Sharpe fan ever since and an avid reader. Prison taught me that books can be very funny.
They put me in a cell in ville with this chap that just sat crossed legged on his bunk, combed his huge afro and tutted. He was on remand for murder. Prison officers moved me once they discovered what stupid reason i'd been banged up. Put me on the hot plate and helped me out. They couldnt believe i'd been banged up for such a silly reason.
Wasn't that a stepson? Anyway. Who cares. i doubt very much he could give a stuff whether he gets a K or not. He's already got an MBE or something for his charitable works. But that seems to be missing the point a bit. Loads of people do charitable works. Not many people are world famous guitarists and singers for nearly 50 years.
seems a bit harsh. dude see when you where typing this you weren't perchance sticking pins in a doll fashioned from wax where you? the second i read it i ended up on he floor doubled up for two hours, had to take the phone of the lads, they where one more cry of pain away from calling an ambulance.feck.that was a bad one. the lads think it's an oscar i deserve instead of a knighthood.
Serves you right Fin. All that wind has to have consequences. I shall always remember fondly the bit where Ins Flint interviews Wilt in Wilt. I laughed so much I fell off my bunk. I was hooked on books ever since. I owe Tom Sharpe and HMP for my enlightenment. I never realised that books could be so entertaining. I still prefer his two South African ones though. The apartheid SA Gov create a bunch of spies, who do not know of each other, and then set them off to infiltrate terrorist groups. But only for them to find only one another and with each desperate to show each other their commitment to the 'cause' and not knowing they are all spies, they then all go around bombing gov buildings etc. Has to be one of the highlights of satire for me.
Yes, it was a stepson now you mention it. So are you for or against the Honours system ? Surely the rewards people get are through doing whatever it is they are doing. Why do they need 'recognition' ?
@bootsam didn't your man, forget his name, scowser, political activist comedian/actor have a similar experience. turned his life around after a book was given to him during wee visit inside. i think it was wind, god that was a bad one.
It's actually a huge debate. Look at it this way: You have a Queen and royal family, and then an aristocracy of Dukes, Counts, Barons and Marquises and the like, together with their female counterparts. Within that context, a FAIR honours system makes some kind of sense. After all, if you haven't been born to the aristocracy, you ought to have some chance of joining it (although the real aristos will still look down on you). If you got rid of the monarchy, and all the aristocracy, then perhaps you could can the honours system. France still has a couple of aristos, despite not having a monarchy, but they are in any case very attached to the importance of the Légion d'Honneur - which is their honour system. I'm quite in favour of people being recognised for exceptional achievement. But I don't think that winning the Tour de France once counts, nor do I think that people who chose to be politicians should systematically be honoured after leaving office. There are far more deserving people. I'm not that in favour of top business people being honoured either, when they have laboured for their own ends, mainly. People who have done exceptional things for the community, excelled in scientific or cultural endeavour. Sure. Why not?
Sir( yes indeed) Bob Kerslake , at the time head of the civil service is quoted as reporting in jan 13, of the 2013 honours list, 18% went to civil servants. An interestingly high number, 18%. At least it's down a bit from 27% in 2004...... Is that reflective of society?
That all sounds very reasonable. However elites will always use the tools available to them to maintain their position and bestowing honours upon those around them has always been a tried and tested method.
