OK… another year gone, and another New Year’s Honours List that doesn’t recognise the sterling work carried out for the community by yours truly. Robert Piper OBE… or Sir Robert Piper, or a simple Baron Bob Piper of Warley Woods in the borough of Sandwell and Aston Villa in the parish of Aston. It has a certain ring to it, I’m sure you’d agree.
Of course, none of these things will ever happen. In order to appear in these lists in the first place you have to reply to a letter which states that Lizzie Windsor is mindful of bestowing some sort of bauble on you, and should she so decide, would you be prepared to accept. And my answer would be a resounding no! The purpose of this little fiasco is to prevent people ever ‘turning down’ an award, because if you’re not actually given it, technically you can’t actually refuse it.
I don’t begrudge any of the swimmers, cyclists, railway station clerks and cleaners their day out gawping at Buckingham Palace and meeting HRH (although one person of my acquaintance who will remain nameless was a bit put out to only get his of Charlie… and they didn’t even get offered a cup of tea (Earl Grey?) and a royal biscuit). It would be churlish to criticise them as I suspect in doing what they did the last thing on their mind was the prospect of getting a gong from the Queen.
But the whole thing, with its myriad of ranks and absurd hierarchical nonsense, simply acts to reinforce the worst aspects of the class system in Britain. A ridiculous hangover from days we should have grown out of, and like royalty itself, based on medieval concepts of privilege and patronage. The recent trend, so very New Labour, of extending the honours to more ‘little’ folk is frankly, just embarrassing.
Anyway…. a Happy New Year to you ! See you next year.
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You say you don’t begrudge people meeting “HRH” – I think you need to brush up on styles and forms of address etc in Debrett’s. The Queen is, of course, Her Majesty, NOT Her Royal Highness…
You’d be saying “no” too early Bob. When John Speller puts you forward for your gong and the happy day comes along say “yes” at first until Her Maj makes the news public -and then turn it down in a haze of publicity.
I reckon that would add 10% to your majority in Republican-leaning Bearwood.
Poor Braindead Bob – still fighting the last class war.
Hey, Bob, The Sixties is on the line, it wants its redundant political ‘philosophy’ back.
A Happy New Year to you Bob.
You too JHL… and to you John, Jonathan…(I hadn’t got my copy of Debrett’s to hand) and even that little pool of excrement Wayne. Keep coming back over the next year Wayne… we’ve seen off Oakshott and newmania… and unlike you, they were quite witty and bright, so you should be easy meat.
Poor Braindead – I wouldn’t boast about losing readers, although I don’t doubt you’re quite good at it.
All those click-throughs that you (are not too ashamed to) get from TORY YES TORY Iain Dale’s site and how many regular readers – say that read five days in seven – do you have?
Six? Seven?
HYN to the Bearwood Pipers from Ernesto, the Guevaras and The Manager.
….and from Willie Anderson, Andy Gray and Cannock’s finest, Stanley Victor.
Wayne, I’m afraid it is difficult to answer that. You appear to have swallowed either the newmania book of gibberish, or something with a very high alcohol content. Would you like to have another go at writing that second paragraph by rearranging the words into some sort of a sentence?
When does your new school term start by the way?
Ernesto… same to you, the family, the manager and his staff!
Tell Sam AG was 59 in 167 appearances. Gazza got 59 in 165. Case proven!
Hi Bob, all the best for 2009, and come O’Neill and the boys, do us proud.
Bob, you’ve got no chance of a gong under the current administration, you’re way off message – and long may you continue to be so.
I look forward to another 12 months of leftie twaddle, and the occasional nugget of sheer brilliance.
Happy New Year, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
Though I admired the feats of Chris Hoy and co in Beijing, even he had the grace to admit that a knighthood was ‘madness’. It rather devalues the honour bestowed on those who have worked for thirty years or something with sick children in Africa or risking their lives as a war correspondent in the Middle East for two decades. And, yes, the honours system is a farce and political pantomime. But I can’t see it changing for a fair while..nor you getting a knighthood. But you can only dream, so a Happy New year to you and Lady P
Brian
My mum got an MBE at the end of a long teaching career. She came from a working class mining family and was the first person in her extended family to go to college. Onya I say. She really appreciated it and meeting Liz, but why not recognise people while they are working with a decent salary and the like.
Couldn’t agree with you more the perpetuation of the class system.
Colin, I love that blog name!
Oh, and by the way… we are up for the ashes…. bring it on!
Here in Aus most people think they live in a classless society…and as long as the working class believe it the middle and upper classes aren’t going to tell them anything different.
Bob
I am in a good position living in Australia. I can stay quiet when the Aussies are going well and stick the boot in when they are down. Like now. Go the Kaffirs.