Thursday 31 December 2015

Is the Honours List still relevant?

The New Year's Honours List for 2016 has been published and as I was scrolling through it this morning, I was wondering, are the Honours still relevant today?


Do people really deserve awards for doing a job that they chose to do?  I am not including privately funded industry awards here, if you are going to be using your own company's money, award away, I am just talking about publicly funded awards.

Picking out some specific examples, the third name on the list, for a Knighthood, is a choreographer, receiving his award for 'services to dance'.  What?  Someone gets a knighthood for prancing about a bit in a leotard and leg-warmers?  It may just be me, but when I hear the word 'choreographer' I automatically think of Fame and Debbie Allen shouting at her dancers whilst pounding the floor with a big stick.  Is that really worthy of a Knighthood?


Staying with Knighthoods, a jockey has been knighted.  Yes, he has been Champion Jockey many, many times - fair enough, that is an industry funded award - but a Knighthood?  Did he carry the horses around all those courses?  No, surely the horse did the work, he just didn't fall off, well not every time anyway.

Awards are given for services to Transport.  Have the people who decided the recipients ever used Public Transport?  The people in charge should not be receiving awards, they should be forced to use their system every day during rush hour.

Services to the fashion industry.  Short of making enough clothes that people don't need to walk around naked (sometimes I feel they are failing at this), what other services are needed?

Services to football and drama.  Two well paid professions with enough awards already.

Services to entertainment and charity.  Again, entertainers who reach the Honours Lists are already very well paid, and should you be awarded for charitable works?  Does that not take away some of the charity?


Services to art.  A sculptor has received an award, would we notice if there were no new sculptures?

I stopped reading at this point, I felt there was no need to go on.

How do you feel about the Honours System.




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