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There is a journalist called Gerald Warner who writes for the Telegraph and today had me gasping incredulously with the “News” that the Labour Government has decided in its wisdom that it shall run an advertising campaign to get the public to nominate people for “Honours” as in New Years and Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The cynic in me detects a typical Labour over reaction to be seen to be doing the “right and fair thing” and no longer touting honours though after 11 years of doing the exact opposite in most respects, why bother now when we are shortly – 16 months and counting, going to be shot of the whole dreary crowd called the Labour Party.

Another Rather Daft Idea

Quite amusingly and rather as Blair apparently worried about his personal “Legacy” as Prime Minister, so too now it seems, the whole of the Party is worried about the “Labour Legacy”. I have no idea why, just as previous Labour Governments they are running true to form, they have made a total balls up of the UK Economy and will leave it to the Conservatives to clean it up. Labour would do “anything” to demonstrate that it is “A straight kind of party…” even if not an economically sound one.

However, there is another aspect to this, as 80% of our Laws are now imposed by Brussels, the poor dears have too much time on their hands and we know what the Devil does with idle hands… This one fact accounts for the increasingly bizarre, even demented legislation they keep coming up with because they are determined to be “seen doing something”. It is likely that if they had only done half as much as they have, the Country would be far better off, our problems a quarter of what they are today !

The Honours System

I like the Honours System because it does acknowledge people who may not be rich and powerful but have and do give exemplary service to their communities and society at large. For those who denigrate the Honours System which would include the current Government who would wish to reduce them in value as they have A Levels, I would say keep them but eradicate the “automatic ones” for Public Servants based on rank and service only.

The important thing is that any honour should be properly earned not dished out on “Buggins Turn” and those that are awarded “just because” one reaches a given rank or status in the Civil Service or even the Military, in effect denigrate the whole concept.

I like the idea behind Knighthoods, they have historical relevance which transcends the immediate times we live in, are not inherited titles and are solely based upon personal achievement

The word “Empire”

Some would want to eradicate “Empire” from the names as in OBE – Order of the British Empire, however they are wrong for that and are just being cringe worthy, guilt ridden muddle class idiots who lack any proper knowledge of our history. There is no Empire but just like “Defender of the Faith” on our coins, it is a reminder of history and the ethos of service.

As someone once pointed out to me, in the ‘Days of Empire’ which were really confined to the 19^th Century, because communications were pretty slow, the local British Administration had to exercise the law locally and make policy decisions within a framework of what “Being British” was all about, there was no opportunity the “Refer to Higher Authority”. Now whilst that may sound terribly old fashioned and Colonel Blimpish it was the reality and whilst some made a complete Horlicks of the task, the vast majority discharged their duties well.

This really lies at the heart of any decent honours system, that people toil over time not for a “gong” but because that is what they do and therefore the honour serves as a public recognition of that fact and their diligence.

Military Honours Have Been Changed

It was possible to change the name of some Military Medals simply because they are always “earned” and based upon personal deeds. Also the Military being what it is, almost a ‘society’ in itself, everyone within it knows the value of the individual Medals and what it takes to earn them.

Civilian Honours apart from notably the George Cross and Medal but there are a few others too, tend to be ‘based upon a concept of service over time’ rather than individual actions of bravery or valour.

Nominating People

It is difficult to design a rigorously ‘fair’ nomination system, inevitably good candidates will be overlooked and so forth therefore in theory, getting ordinary members of the public to nominate people they know would seem not a bad idea.

Unfortunately this Labour Government has “form” and one can easily see how quickly under them, the whole thing would degenerate into a tick box list based upon, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, good looking people and ugly people, with or without facial hair… In other words, anything like this under Labour will quickly degenerate into total farce, lower standards and as in A Levels, arrive at no standard at all.

I think that we would be better off leaving well alone !