New Years Honours ?

[Horus]

With the latest batch of New Years honours being announced today, yet again we see many sports stars and TV celebrities being honoured. Now I don’t know about you, but I always think that honours given out for something that you enjoy doing and probably getting very well paid for is a bit of an insult to the real people who get their honour for something much more important such as unrelenting charity work or some other such service carried out for the benefit of others. OK people like David Beckham not getting anything has caused a few comments, but why should he be honoured in any particular way? He may give and support charities, but to be honest so could anyone else in his financial position and I am sure most of us would be equally as generous if we had the same wealth to splash about. To me these honours should be to recognise the little people the ones who maybe dedicate their lives to good works and not just a radio DJ or a TV scriptwriter and especially sports men and women, we handed one out to ‘Sir’ Jimmy Saville and look where that ended up. But of course the worst offenders are the political honours given purely as a result of cash donations to political parties.

[Ruby Slippers]

Horus, I have said over the last few years that anyone can stick their hand in their pocket and give money, but the most important thing I can give to anyone is my time, because I don't know how much of it I have left. I totally agree with you that more honours should be given to the unsung heroes of our society, for time, work and a great deal of effort that they give without any recognition, as opposed to those 'big spenders' who can afford it anyway, in the main!

[Grandad]

Why is it Horus that your views reflect my own views exactly and no doubt the views of the majority of our population but those views are seldom reflected in the honours recipients?

I suppose it is that 'Honours Committee' that decides who should get what and they are responsive to lobbyists and others pushing for their buddies to get something.

To me knighthoods should only be awarded to the likes of 'captains' of commerce or industry or civil service, science and technology who have represented and made a real contribution to the benefit of the country and its people and the wider international community. Knighthoods have been demeaned in recent years and I now feel that there is now no appropriate top honour to recognise those who have made a difference or a real contribution.

I do believe that there is a place for an honours system but, as with knighthoods (or Damehoods), Commander, Officer, and Member, of the British Empire should be awarded where service to the country has been shown and not for doing some job or sport just for personal ego....

[Horus]

Why is it Horus that your views reflect my own views exactly and no doubt the views of the majority of our population but those views are seldom reflected in the honours recipients?

No doubt Grandad it is because like most things that involve our illustrious leaders and politicians they never actually reflect the views of the average person. We are as always the silent majority who never seem to be represented in a fair way, there are far to many lobbyists and pressure groups who always seem to get the lions share of any debate. So if say most people would be happy to see a well regulated system for voluntary euthanasia for people with an unbearable quality of life, we get pressure groups such as Pro Life and religious leaders and other personalities raising their objections on moral or religious grounds that most people would not really go along with, they are usually in the minority, but they still get more exposure and air time and political influence that is out of proportion to those that would actually support their views.

The same goes for issues of immigration, most people would support a fair policy that allowed a sustainable amount of immigration from wherever, but voice your concern that you fear that your own ethnicity or lifestyle is being changed out of all proportion and you will again have the well practised lobby groups having their disproportionate input. We will get the likes of Chowdrey and her follower’s banging the racist drum, Amnesty International will be jumping on the bandwagon and to top it all some of the least democratic and in some cases the most racist countries within the European Community either now or in the past, condemning us for trying to secure our own borders.

We have to accept terrorists within our communities because Human Rights lawyers such as Cherie Bliar are allowed to influence policies at a higher level within her own closed shop of the legal system. Basically the whole system stinks and the older I get the more disillusioned I become with it all. Politicians set there own pay, whereas Mr Joe Public has his set for him, MP’s can make ludicrous claims for expenses whereas Joe Public has to produce a receipt for everything. Our elite get ‘perks’ such as chauffeur driven limousines, but our pensioners are lucky if they get a bus pass. I could go on, but I would be wasting my breath, so basically we the silent majority will never be heard because we don’t shout loud enough, but I predict, as I have done previously, that there will be a big shout at the European Elections and that may just get their attention.

So in the words of the ‘WHO’ “We won’t get fooled again”

There's nothing in the street
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Is now the parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

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[LovelyLadyLux]

I think the Entertainment Industry has quite enough venues of their own i.e. Oscars, Grammys etc where they nominate and name those they want to honour and if you're already receiving mega accolades from the world (only know cause they're broadcast ad nauseum so we're all aware of them) I don't see that you need more on New Years.

I was extremely upset when President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. To me that was a real farce and he hadn't really made any contributions to this area. I believe there were many more deserving people who were actually doing REAL work with REAL people to make a difference.

[Horus]

The Oscars, or as I like to call it, the 'Self Congratulation Society' is a good example of this sort of acolade for just doing a very well paid job and as you say what has Omama actually done to deserve this prestigious award?

[LovelyLadyLux]

Obama getting the award was very disturbing to me. Struck me at the time that he was getting it ONLY because he was the first black President of the USA. Am using the word 'black' as I really don't like the term African American. The vast majority of black people in the USA have no first hand knowledge of Africa and have never been there.

As for the self congratulatory group - oh it is tiring at times to watch them especially when they're not espousing anything much of substance but are just glad handing and back slapping with big smiles for the camera.

Getting an honour or award should be something special and seen as special. I prefer awards that have specific criteria that when met should garner an award. In one year if 10 people fit the criteria then 10 awards if in another year nobody meets the criteria then nobody gets an award vs just trying to pick the best of a bad crop and making the person FIT.