A friend of mine is attending Buckingham Palace today to pick up an OBE. I was mildly surprised that he agreed to take it, but he has.
Would you take an honour if it was offered to you?
Would you take an honour if it was offered to you?
-
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Of course not. Stupid load of old bollocks for wankers. -
Honour or Off 'em?
Gosh, Ton, I'd never've expected you to take that line...Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
I know. I'm full of surprises, me.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
My getting offered one when I retire is not a matter of wild conjecture, quite a few of my colleagues get them. I'd definitely take one if offered, and I'd wear it down the pub. My girls could stick it on e-bay when I snuff it.
A bloke called Kevin I used to work with got an MBE a few years ago, I remember him saying it turned out to be quite an expensive "honour". Not only do you have to hire your penguin costume, but if you want a picture of yourself actually receiving it from the Royal (Anne, I think, in his case) it's about £300 from the official photographer.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
The thing is that for most ordinary people a honour comes along for something that they will rightly be immensely proud of.TonTon wrote: Of course not. Stupid load of old bollocks for wankers.
If TonTon were to be offered a honour for his contributions to fan ownership of Football, well he would probably turn it down being TonTon, but would all of those involved in the founding of AFC Wimbledon (not all of whom, I assume, are wankers)? Or those in charge of FCUM or Supporters Direct? It would mean official acknowledgement that what they are doing is a good thing, which is rather important.
The problem with the honours system is obviously that this recognition comes tainted by the association of similar awards going to the 'great and good' [has there ever been a more inaccurate phrase?]. Here the characterisation of 'load of old bollocks for wankers' seems apt. But for the rest of us, what does turning it down achieve, apart from a small private satisfaction of saying 'I'm not like them'? And what would it cost in terms of publicity for the good cause that someone has worked tirelessly for?Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
You'd probably get quite a bit of publicity for turning one down too. I think they do informal soundings in order to weed out those who would be likely to reject it in advance.
Commander Of The British Empire? Yeah, I'd turn it down.
My great aunt had an OBE. First I knew of it was at her funeral.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
I'd be shocked and appalled if "those in charge of FCUM" were to accept some hideous Imperial bauble.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Etienne wrote:
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. You're being given a rank in a made-up club with a very silly name, not put in charge of a regiment in Jaipur.Commander Of The British Empire? Yeah, I'd turn it down.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Yes.Gangster Octopus wrote: A friend of mine is attending Buckingham Palace today to pick up an OBE. I was mildly surprised that he agreed to take it, but he has.
Would you take an honour if it was offered to you?
I have no issue with a nation state honouring it's "great and its good", and, as we're a monarchy, those honours are enacted through the head of state.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
TonTon is absolutely right.
My father-in-law received an honour of some description from Austria (something to do with promoting cultural links between Austria and Sweden).
He's very proud of it and showed it to me within an hour of meeting me for the first time.
I was disintinctly underwhelmed and greeted this news with a grunt of indifference - and not only because I was still seething at what he'd said about my father within half an hour of meeting me for the first time. ("Your father was a fork-lift driver? That's not very imaginative, now, is it?")Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
I've worked with a few that have gongs - the Foreign Office tend to hand them out for being able to walk in a straight line. My friend Charles got an OBE for arranging a Royal visit to Oslo; the guy who took over from me in Kabul got an MBE, and my successor in Nairobi already has an MBE for work she did with David Miliband on Sri Lanka. I also drafted the nomination form on behalf of my boss (who was as thick as pigshit) for a colleague who also received an OBE.My feeling is that this scattergun approach to handing out honours on a whim to civil servants, who are already paid to do their fucking job, demeans the merits of the honours system when someone in civil society is rightly recognised for outstanding achievement. And yes, of course it is anachronistic and should be abolished.
My general work tactic is to avoid those that put it on their business cards - they tend to be the biggest arseholes who teke the credit for the hard work of their staff.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
At least if they did put me in charge of a regiment in Jaipur I might be able to stop India fucking over world cricket.
Might have to be a pretty big regiment.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
The principal of the FE college I worked at got a CBE when I was there. All she did was take an Outstanding college and turn it into Inadequate within four years, and nearly drive the college into bankruptcy twice after an expensive merger with a neighbouring college. All while paying her mates loads of money, and possibly participating in malfeasance that involved taking DofE money for bogus apprenticeships.Vicarious Thrillseeker wrote: I've worked with a few that have gongs - the Foreign Office tend to hand them out for being able to walk in a straight line. My friend Charles got an OBE for arranging a Royal visit to Oslo; the guy who took over from me in Kabul got an MBE, and my successor in Nairobi already has an MBE for work she did with David Miliband on Sri Lanka. I also drafted the nomination form on behalf of my boss (who was as thick as pigshit) for a colleague who also received an OBE.My feeling is that this scattergun approach to handing out honours on a whim to civil servants, who are already paid to do their fucking job, demeans the merits of the honours system when someone in civil society is rightly recognised for outstanding achievement. And yes, of course it is anachronistic and should be abolished.
My general work tactic is to avoid those that put it on their business cards - they tend to be the biggest arseholes who teke the credit for the hard work of their staff.
Between that and my small-r republican sympathies, you're damn fucking right I'm never taking a gong. Even if it's unlikely to be offered to me.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
If it were me I'd take it and wear it down Rogin's pub.TonTon wrote: I'd be shocked and appalled if "those in charge of FCUM" were to accept some hideous Imperial bauble.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
VT's post made me chuckle and reminded me of the letter of commendation my Grandfather received alongside a military honour he was once awarded (not a British Empire one) while out in India as a Royal Engineer in the post-partition period.
It includes the line "for carrying out his duties without unduly antagonizing the natives".Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Nothing wrong with honouring people per se, but the current system seems a bit skewed to people who have worked in public service and have done a good job at playing the system. The system rewards the people who succeed in the system. No surprise there.
It would depend why I was offered one. If it was for some of the things I do in my own time then maybe.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
I think TonTon deserves public recognition from a grateful nation for his public service for football fans and community ownership. It's a shame that the name of the title (understandably) precludes him from accepting it- otherwise I'd propose a mass nomination from WSc readersTonTon wrote: I'd be shocked and appalled if "those in charge of FCUM" were to accept some hideous Imperial bauble.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
There's absolutely and clearly nothing wrong with honouring people - in an honours system named after the country (well, its former Empire, but you know what I mean) - who have worked to serve their country (not themselves).
You're right that too many of the top bods in public service get them by rote, that's clearly true. But I'd still rather see a dinner lady from Rotherham or a civil servant from, say, Clayton-le-Woods, get honoured for years of public service than someone in business who's never worked to achieve anything other than making him or herself rich.
Put them in the House of the Lords, like your man Sugar, if we genuinely think that that chamber would benefit from their expertise. But don't honour them by pretending they've ever done anything "for their country". Especially the ones who don't even pay tax here.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Hahaha, that would be the most epic troll. But I don't think we can do that to TonTon or he will disappear from the board again and it's much livelier having him here.
Edit: Re Nef's commentComment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
I can see why people accept them, especially if they're from a minority or working-class background and are "representing" through their achievements, or if it would make their mums really proud. More pragmatically, it could be good for business, so it may make sense on those grounds, where you want the PR and don't want to be seen as a troublemaker.
I can see more reason to refuse - it's cooler, and you can always remind people you refused one.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Too kind, Nef.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Surely the greatest reward we can give TonTon is continuing his work and securing a future for all football clubs through fan ownership? Hmmmmm? Or one of those massive cheques you get in golf.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
I'd LOVE a massive cheque.
There was a brief period when I was actually worried that some people might want to put me in a difficult position. It passed.Comment
-
Honour or Off 'em?
Been watching 50 shades of grey again?Comment
Comment