New Year's Honours List

[David Nicholson]

Just gone through all 124 pages of the above to see if any gardeners got a 'gong'. No! I wasn't looking to see if I'd got one and they'd forgotten to tell me, really I wasn't

For those not of these parts this is a system by which awards are made to the great and the good and indeed to the not so great and the not so good. It starts at the top with Knighthoods (for men) and Damehoods (for the fairer sex) and ends with the Order of the British Empire (odd in itself because we don't have an Empire anymore!). Many awards are given to people who were just doing the job they were paid to do (and even for some who weren't doing the job they were supposed to do!); others, and far to many, are given for political reasons and the last category are for the humble Joes and Jessies spending their time, and often their resources too, to the benefit of a community.

I did not notice that many Scottish people got awards this time (not that they didn't deserve them) so obviously some 'tightening of the bonds" going on I noticed too that the world of Further and Higher Education (where I used to earn my corn many moons ago) was well represented. A sure pre-text that they'r going to close 'em down or something

Anyway, these were the nearest to gardeners I could get.

A chap who was a Verderer in Epping Forest got an MBE for voluntary services to the conservation of flora and fauna in South West Essex and East London. Must have been like flogging a dead horse in East London?

Someone else for services to the regulation of pesticides! That'll be another lot we shan't be able to buy?

Another for services to Battery Hen Welfare. Bet the egg production numbers increased when the hens heard about it.

Another for services to Floral Art in Bolton. Shelagh lives in Bury, only just up the road, but didn't see her listed?

The nearest real gardener was a lady who was a volunteer at RBG Kew for services to Botanical Research. Digging possibly?

I did like the one given to a lady for services to Tea Production and History. I could have had one of those, I made one not ten minutes ago.

The one I liked best of all, and nothing to do with gardening, apart from perhaps the welfare of aged gardeners, was a bloke who was Master Blender for William Grant and Sons, Distillers Ltd, for services to the Scotch Whisky Industry. More power to his elbow, and indeed his sampling glass.

I'm going to propose a new category for next year though. It's the "Order of Doing Sod-All on a Very Wet Day", I'm sure to get one of those

[Michael J Campbell]

 

[shelagh]

David my floral art skills would make you weep.

[Tim Ingram]

Never quite know what to think of this but several years ago I did write to the then Secretary of the RHS with the suggestion that Beth Chatto should well be a Dame. He replied that the RHS would support such a nomination so probably the list does (at least in part) get drawn up from personal recommendations rather than more political ones. Personally I regard gardeners such as Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd as honoured in my mind anyway but it could give gardening and the specialist gardening societies in particular more recognition if some 'gardeners' were honoured in this list.

[David Nicholson]

Unsurprisingly there are at least two Forumists (both from outside the UK) who were pretty unclear about our Honour's system and have contacted me to see if I would explain further, which, at the expense of probably of putting to sleep many who couldn't care a jot, I shall try to do.

First of all I need to say that my original post on this subject above does have an element of "tongue in cheek" about it and I wouldn't be at all surprised, though I shall try very hard to be good, if my tongue did have a certain difficulty, in some parts of what follows, viz-a-viz my cheek.

Firstly, there are two Honours Lists published in the UK, one at the New Year and a second on The Queen's official birthday in June. The Queen also has a second and traditional birthday that coincides with the date on which she was born. Yes, she probably gets socks for both

For what follws I will concentrate on general awards rather than those related to gallantry or civil defence

It's a truism that anyone can nominate someone for an Honour.  The system recognises people who have:-

made achievements in public life.

committed themselves  to serving and helping Britain in it's widest sense.

"They'll usually have made life better for other people or be outstanding at what they do"

All nominees are "checked out" by various government departments to make sure they are suitable in every way for an Honour. This may even checks that Tax and other financial matters have been pristine. Of course these matters can be notoriously difficult to handle and there have many cases in the recent past of Honours being withdrawn. These have been often to do with persons of note, often from various branches of the media having,  shall we say, 'generous' feelings towards children of both sexes!

Whether someone gets an Honour, and the type of honour they get is decided by an Honours Committee. The Committee's decisions then go to the Prime Minister and then to The Queen who makes the award.

The Honours Committee I referred to has a whole suit of sub-committees beneath it which represent interests in all aspects of UK life and leisure and that receive and filter the nominations that you and I can make and make decisions on what can be passed upwards to the main Committee.

The Honours Committees are made up senior civil servants as well as people who are "independent of Government" (yeah right   ) and have a majority of members who are independent. All have an independent chairman and a representative of the Prime Minister is invited to all meetings. Here I have tremendous difficulty in extracting my tongue. In some's views, regardless of the posturing politicos, it's actually the Civil Service who are the "power" under and over the Throne and if you don't fit beneath their 'measure' you won't get an award in any case. As said in my original post I read through all 124 pages of the New Year List but I bet that neither HMQ nor the Prime Minister did!

So there you have it, mostly the truth on what happens and why.

[Giles]

.... well, I nominate you every year, David.....    .....maybe they're saving up for something *really big* in the future.....

[Tim Ingram]

David - there are also those honourable people who have turned down honours - so we can be in good company either way!

[David Nicholson]

Agreed Tim there are still probably more honourable people without Honours than there are with.

Giles I've probably blotted enough copy books in my lifetime so far....................

 

[Hoy]

Seems to be pretty difficult to govern an Empire

[Hoy]

PS. Here everyone gets a medal of honour from the king - if you work at the same place for 50 or more years

[David Nicholson]

Seems to be pretty difficult to govern an Empire

 

[Tim Ingram]

Trond, I think we still have some of that Nordic spirit of adventure and discovery that opens the world up without wanting to own it, and listens to other people. And yes, same sentiments as David's 

[Maggi Young]

Seems to be pretty difficult to govern an Empire

 Yes,  especially when they can't  admit they don't have one! 

[ichristie]

Hello, I hereby nominate every person who posts on the incredible forum for the highest honor the SRGC recognition award of  horticultural excellence have no idea what this will bring you but all are deserving, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[annew]

Especially Dame Maggi and the gallant Sir Ian...