Will it be Sir Jason Kenny after his marvellous exploits in Rio, equalling Sir Chris Hoy with 6 golds medals to his name? After all, it's Sir Bradley Wiggo and Sir Steve Redgrave (great man, but I wouldn't have him near at TV studio myself), both with 5 golds and then Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Matthew Pinsent with 4. So presumably it will be Dame Laura Trott (also now with 4 golds). And Sir Mo Farah now he also has 4 golds. The Sun is demanding gongs for them all.
The performances have been outstanding , but I hope they don't hand out a mountain of honours for achievements at Rio. I've always thought it strange to give big gongs to sportsmen who haven't retired, so you get "Sir" whoever competing against his peers. A bit like them writing their memoirs while still competing, it doesn't feel right to me.
Actually, I think we should stop this whole nonsense now. Honouring sports people and other celebrities is not appropriate. They get the appropriate recognition and medals from their sport. Honours produce all sorts of strange oddities, like Nick Faldo conspicuously being belatedly knighted when he had been Britain's greatest golfer of the modern era and absolutely world class. Making us wonder why no knighthood. Though apparently golfer David Howell famously had a golf locker room in tucks of laughter when he said to Faldo that he knew why he hadn't been knighted (as of 2007). "Why?" "Because Her Majesty thinks you're a c**t."
Perhaps the biggest nonsense when it comes to gongs for sports people was the lack of a major honour for Bob Paisley (6 Championships, 3 League Cups, 4 European Cups - counting 1 UEFA Cup), who had to make do with an OBE when it was Sir Matt Busby (5 championships, 2 FA Cups, 1 European Cup) and later Sir Alex Ferguson (13 championships, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 4 European Cups - counting 2 UEFA Cup Winners Cups). And what about Brian Clough OBE (2 championships, 2 League Cups, 2 European Cups)? It's possible Mrs Thatcher thought Brian Clough, whose Nottingham Forest team won their European Cups in 1979 and 1980, was a c**t, though I expect more likely it was to do with her views on football and hooliganism. Presumably she wouldn't wear more than an OBE for a football manager. But Paisley had already won twice as many European Cups as Busby before Thatcher became PM, so that "tariff" was set by Labour.
Er, don't tell me there isn't a tariff for a "K" or whatever, because it sure seems to exist for political donors. Indeed, the honours system gets more and more discredited with each PM's resignation honours. It's been flaky since at least the days of Harold Wilson's "Lavender List". Cameron's egregious list is just the latest.
I can only think of one good reason to continue the honours system - to reward worthy service by unheralded people across the country, who don't get medals or gongs for their service. And only one reason for including celebrities - so that the worthies might get to meet a Lewis Hamilton (or Jason Kenny) at their inauguration and garden party (though the celebs could be invited anyway and might come to meet the Queen).
I don't personally think those are good enough reasons.
I'm with John Lennon, who returned his MBE and David Bowie, who declined a CBE in 2000 and a knighthood in 2003. Letters before or after their name wouldn't add anything to the quality of their achievements.
Arguably these sort of people are given honours so politicians can bask in reflected glory. So, rather than trying to modify it, let's scrap this whole ludicrous system now.
For the Howell/Faldo story see http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/david-howell-joker-takes-a-royal-swing-at-destiny-6232508.html
Well said Phil
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