The British Honours System

Knoyleo wrote:

Lotus wrote:Still not convinced on the sports front, and maybe it's because so many people in recent years from rugby, cricket, cycling, track and field, rowing, sailing, etc have been given them. Just devalues them IMO.

Do you feel it devalues them more or less than an ex PM using the opportunity to hand a load out to his mates?

Squinty wrote:How much does this wankery cost us then?

Moggy wrote:

Squinty wrote:How much does this wankery cost us then?

According to Buzzfeed the whole thing costs about £1million a year.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/lukejames88/th ... ion-a-year

There's roughly 65million people in the country and so it costs us around 2p each per year. Which is a small price to pay for such a deserved award to Mrs Cameron's stylist.

Photek wrote:I heard about this, this morning on the Radio, madness.

BBC News wrote:The first black footballer to play for Liverpool has turned down an MBE nomination, saying it would be "a betrayal" to Africans who suffered at the hands of the British Empire.

Howard Gayle, 58, was born in Toxteth and made his Reds debut in 1977.

He said he had to decline the nomination, for his Show Racism the Red Card campaign work, as his ancestors would be "turning in their graves".

The Cabinet Office said it did not comment on individual cases.

The former footballer wrote on Facebook: "Most of you who are on my FB page are aware of the work that I do tackling racism and the work I do for Show Racism A Red Card. And for that work yesterday I was nominated for a MBE."



He added: "Which unfortunately I had to decline the nomination for the reason that my ancestors would be turning in their graves after how Empire and Colonialism had enslaved them.

"This is a decision that I have had to make and there will be others who may feel different and would enjoy the attraction of being a Member of the British Empire and those 3 letters after their name, but I feel that It would be a betrayal to all of the Africans who have lost their lives, or who have suffered as a result of Empire."

As well as representing England at Under-21 level, Gayle played for Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Birmingham City, Halifax Town, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Stoke City.

Other honours snubs

LS Lowry - the painter turned down a total of five honours, including an OBE in 1955, a CBE in 1961 and a knighthood in 1968
Benjamin Zephaniah - the poet spurned an OBE in 2003 saying it stood for colonial brutality and slavery
David Bowie - the music legend turned down a CBE in 2000
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders - the comedy duo refused OBEs in 2001
John Lennon - the Beatles legend returned his MBE four years after accepting it in 1965 in protest against the Vietnam and Biafran wars
JG Ballard - the writer rejected a CBE saying he was opposed to the "preposterous charade" of the honours system