The dishonourable system of honours…

Slogger is a North Antrim retiree and latecomer to political discourse.

As I’m a total curmudgeon, this article could be part one of a series of Room 101 rants about the things that bug me the most.

So I shall discuss that most odious of institutions – the so called “HONOURS SYSTEM”. As readers will be aware, the latest instalment of gongs has just been announced so I have been triggered yet again.

Let me begin by clarifying that this is not an anti British rant. The UK is not alone in handing out honours and they might be just as odious for all I know. But it’s the system with which I am most familiar and it’s the system that bugs me personally.

So why do I loathe the “honours system” so much? As any decent person should, I am a believer in the importance of FAIRNESS. Some will argue that life is unfair and that is correct. Some of us will fall foul of things which are beyond control – accidents, disease and so on. So, yes, life can be unfair. But it is beholden on all of us to strive to minimise unfairness which CAN be controlled. Even those who disregard the moral imperative should have the wisdom to grasp that gross unfairness ultimately leads to civil strife and societal breakdown. (see history of NI 1969-1998)

Consideration of FAIRNESS then brings to mind the BRITISH CLASS SYSTEM. (Yes I know that other nations have class systems but again, this is one with which I am familiar, and it really is a DEEPLY EMBEDDED STINKER of a class system) Social stratification has been the result of various factors such as accumulated wealth and how good your ancestor was with a sword. It is kind of human nature to drift into social classes but that doesn’t make it right. The thing about class systems is that they are an INSIDIOUS IMPEDIMENT TO FAIRNESS and should be resisted. That should be apparent to you. If it’s not, then read no further.

And on to the HONOURS SYSTEM and reasons why it is so rotten and UNFAIR . . .

THE HIERARCHY OF AWARDS – MIRRORING AND THEREBY REINFORCING THE CLASS SYSTEM. So the Honours System hierarchy works like this :

– Promotion to the House of Lords mainly for politicians and political donors.

– Knighthoods/Damehoods – mainly to those who are already well rewarded by fame and wealth and who move in the higher echelons.

– OBEs/CBEs – mainly to higher tier civil servants and business people for merely DOING THEIR JOB. Basically the upper middle class awards.

– MBEs – the middle tier award. Some of these are actually deserved but some are merely for DOING THEIR JOBS.

– BEMs – reintroduced by Cameron as a catch all for the hoi polloi. The Poundland of the honours system. Not where a person of distinction wants to be.

As for the celebrity “services to sport/entertainment etc” awards – don’t get me started. Why on earth should someone get an award for doing what they love doing and getting wealthy and famous in the process? And don’t give me the celebrity “services to charity” BS. Most of them do it because their managers advised them to do it for the sake of public image.

And then we have the silly “Empire” anachronism within the names but that’s a minor issue. Kind of funny really.

REFORM – Either cancel this travesty of a system or replace it with the Slogger Awards.

–          One single award to all. No hierarchy.

–          Absolutley no awards for political reasons.

–          Absolutely no awards for the rich and famous. They have already been rewarded.

–          Absolutely no awards for just doing your job.

I rest my case for the prosecution, m’lud.

Soapbox

This is a guest slot to give a platform for new writers either as a one off, or a prelude to becoming part of the regular Slugger team.