Birthday Honours!!

[Vienna]

I have an acquaintance ( not a friend ) who is a big noise in HM Gov Inland Revenue, London and was awarded an MBE in the 2002 New Year`s honours list. Her award was for handling some of the biggest celeb tax avoidance cases and doing them for millions of pounds and even prison sentences ( Lester Piggott was one of hers ). Goes to show the government looks after its own and she pulls out the title of MBE to get best restaurant seats or hotel rooms etc amongst other benefits.

 

[Bea Frugal]

Maybe Leighton gives generously to charity. I thought that was pretty much a requirement when doling out awards to celebrities and business bods.

 

[CallMeQ]

I get angry when they give these honours to sportsmen/women too, at the end of the day they chose to do it for a living and to try and win these medals, they no doubt get funding to do it, so that they don't have to get a proper job.

more of these honours need to be given to the average 9-5 worker who still manages to manage a family, pets and the housework - now thats a real achievement.

As for leighton denny, his ego is big enough now i dread to think what he'll be like now - and personally i think his products are the biggest load of S*** ever, once i tried a kit of his and it went back the next day, watery gloop - it would have needed like 10 coats to give complete coverage.

John barrowman gets one too? oh good lord - he's another one that drives me to switch gemporia on lol

 

[donna255]

If you mean Lulu, she's had an OBE for donkey's years - services to the Entertainment Industry I believe.

Ah!!!! I am surprised its not rammed down our throats.

 

[Brissles]

This isn't sour grapes, but in these times, there is a willingness - because of vast media coverage - to give out awards in vastly more numbers than 40 or 50 years ago.

Back in the early 60's, my dad was a young married man with 3 children and worked night shift down a coal mine in the Kent coalfields. His spare time was given over to the youth of the town, first creating a football team, which then morphed into a youth club. Dad attended council meetings etc and fought to get premises to open this youth club - somewhere to get the teenagers off the street in the evenings, he also organised weekend dances with many top groups of the day playing at the venue. He is still remembered to this day by many of the youth club members and how Dad helped them. One in particular is a well known tv drama actress who mentioned him in her autobiography.

Dad wasn't the type to want or seek recognition, but he is now in his 91st year, and it would have been lovely for him to have received something for the time and effort he put in helping those kids who are now in their middle age. No doubt if he was a 'name' on the tele then things might have been different. So yes, I do feel very cynical about the likes of nail varnish manufacturers and morning tv queens getting awards for charity or suchlike - but would they have got them 50 years ago ? No I very much think not.

 

[donna255]

Okay, a friend's sister's husband got an MBE last year. He works in Belfast City Council.

So did you all know it costs you a lot of money for the bloody things???

Oh yes, you pay for your scroll showing you have one. Now you can have the deluxe version, I believe it was over £1000 and all handwritten on parchment. The cheap one on paper and printed with your name only handwritten is over £100. These prices may have changed now. They have a dress code so new outfits, you get a list of what is acceptable to wear(no QVC fashion for sure), morning style suit for men. Then the stay in London overnight as you have to arrive early and go through security etc. Afterwards you get afternoon tea in the gardens, cup of tea, sandwich and pastry. No guarantee if Liz,Phil or Charlie will attend that bit.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Sports people becoming a Sir or a Dame for winning gold in 1 Olympics is what really bugs me. Entertainers who like Brucie F at least have put in a lifetime often doing a lot for charity, so Maybe, but to be honest anyone in show biz under 50 is way too young. Creating jobs for UK is sort of ok (until they ship it all to china) but unless you have given a lot of your time to charity or community work, breakthrough in medicine or science then I say NO.
Of course you have to be nominated so perhaps it is our fault for not making the effort to nominate all the unsung heroes. The others all have PR people doing it for them so it is not a bit wonder they make up the majority.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Just looked at the list and note that Zandra Rodes was one
There is an awful lot for "services to drama/literature". Services my **** a well paid job which panders to their love of the limelight. And some of them have only done a couple of things that joe public would recognise.
Much as I quite like Judi Dench I never understand why she was made a Dame. There are stacks of other actors of the same caliber.

Of course both Lulu's have the OBE, handbags at dawn?

 

[donna255]

Daniel Day Lewis is a sir but he is now an Irish citizen as far as I know.

 

[Sazza]

Daniel Day Lewis is a sir but he is now an Irish citizen as far as I know.

He holds dual citizenship, he was born and brought up in London.

 

[Brissles]

Sports people becoming a Sir or a Dame for winning gold in 1 Olympics is what really bugs me. Entertainers who like Brucie F at least have put in a lifetime often doing a lot for charity, so Maybe, but to be honest anyone in show biz under 50 is way too young. Creating jobs for UK is sort of ok (until they ship it all to china) but unless you have given a lot of your time to charity or community work, breakthrough in medicine or science then I say NO.
Of course you have to be nominated so perhaps it is our fault for not making the effort to nominate all the unsung heroes. The others all have PR people doing it for them so it is not a bit wonder they make up the majority.

Well said !

You mentioned PR, well one of the biggest PR in the business has got himself an award this time around - Jonathan Shalit. Manager of Myleen Grass amongst others - including Lorraine Kelly who's already got her gong ! so watch this space that Myleen gets hers soon.

Still in PR - thankfully glory boy Mr Beckham has been left out, but wait until his PR chap Simon Fuller gets to work, the man who pulls all the strings for that 'power couple' - whats betting it will be within a couple of years. Saints preserve us from Lady Beckham.

 

[Boris Bear]

Of course you have to be nominated so perhaps it is our fault for not making the effort to nominate all the unsung heroes. The others all have PR people doing it for them so it is not a bit wonder they make up the majority.

The BBC website states that 73% of this times awards were given to people for "outstanding work in their communities" which I assume means the unsung heroes, so the big names aren't the majority but probably get the majority of the publicity. But if there are people in our communities who deserve recognition then yes we should nominate them and not just leave it for someone else to do.

 

[Katie]

I really think Leighton really deserves it. He always takes time to tweet everyone on twitter, all his amazing charity work, and his nail polishes, crystal nail file etc are amazing. :mysmilie_59: .. Hoping he'll be doing a special MBE nail colour hehe :mysmilie_14:.. Stephen definitely deserves it too, unsure about John.. Panicked because I thought he got the MBE for his 'Her' haircare!

 

[louise66]

Okay, a friend's sister's husband got an MBE last year. He works in Belfast City Council.

So did you all know it costs you a lot of money for the bloody things???

Oh yes, you pay for your scroll showing you have one. Now you can have the deluxe version, I believe it was over £1000 and all handwritten on parchment. The cheap one on paper and printed with your name only handwritten is over £100. These prices may have changed now. They have a dress code so new outfits, you get a list of what is acceptable to wear(no QVC fashion for sure), morning style suit for men. Then the stay in London overnight as you have to arrive early and go through security etc. Afterwards you get afternoon tea in the gardens, cup of tea, sandwich and pastry. No guarantee if Liz,Phil or Charlie will attend that bit.

Couldn't be on with all that. I wouldn't bother accepting it. If it was awarded to me in absentia, fine. But I definitely wouldn't spend a fortune to get one.

 

[iloveshopping]

I really think Leighton really deserves it. He always takes time to tweet everyone on twitter, all his amazing charity work, and his nail polishes, crystal nail file etc are amazing. :mysmilie_59: .. Hoping he'll be doing a special MBE nail colour hehe :mysmilie_14:.. Stephen definitely deserves it too, unsure about John.. Panicked because I thought he got the MBE for his 'Her' haircare!

Welcome Katie! I see this is your first post. I'm pleased for Leighton too.

 

[louise66]

Sports people becoming a Sir or a Dame for winning gold in 1 Olympics is what really bugs me. Entertainers who like Brucie F at least have put in a lifetime often doing a lot for charity, so Maybe, but to be honest anyone in show biz under 50 is way too young. Creating jobs for UK is sort of ok (until they ship it all to china) but unless you have given a lot of your time to charity or community work, breakthrough in medicine or science then I say NO.
Of course you have to be nominated so perhaps it is our fault for not making the effort to nominate all the unsung heroes. The others all have PR people doing it for them so it is not a bit wonder they make up the majority.

Although I think it was probably inevitable that he be awarded an OBE for being the first men's Wimbledon champion in 77 years, the talk of him deserving to be knighted really annoyed me. It would have been inappropriate.

 

[AmethystRox]

Stephen Sutton was, thankfully, awarded and accepted his MBE personally, prior to his premature death. We have to be minddful that these awards are made to different categories, i.e. charity work or "services to...", although we may believe that some are more deserving than others. Whilst raising £4 million for charity is an astonishing achievement, which a MBE medal cannot even begin to recognise, creating a nailcare brand, which sells globally, thus aiding the british economy is also an achievement. I would not honour JB for "services to light entertainment", but he does do a lot of charity work, so I can understand that being one of the reasons he got it.
I am by no means a monarchist but, for me, the best thing about the honours system? The americans are so envious of it. The United States, originally being part of our nation, will never have the history we have; history is, by definition, not retrospective. I do think the UK behaved shamefully, on the world stage, with it's treatment of the Princess of Wales. Consequently, the US was only too willing to open it's arms to her.

Actually the US is not envious of the UK for having a monarchy. There was a big war to do away with the king way back when. Perhaps admiring someone like the Queen is misunderstood as envy, but most people think that the royal family is highly overpaid and pampered. Princess Diana was seen as different, young, attractive and hope for the future. It was the fairy tale that was sold 'round the world. It is believed she was used by the royal family to their advantage. How that turned out is well known history now.

 

[Scout]

So did you all know it costs you a lot of money for the bloody things???

Oh yes, you pay for your scroll showing you have one. Now you can have the deluxe version, I believe it was over £1000 and all handwritten on parchment. The cheap one on paper and printed with your name only handwritten is over £100.

I find that absolutely outrageous. Like giving someone a birthday present and asking them to pay for it themselves. I'd tell them to shove it.

No guarantee if Liz,Phil or Charlie will attend that bit.

I wouldn't want to go anywhere that would let them in.

 

[Julius]

Leighton Denny for painting a few people's fingernails! LOL!

 

[donna255]

Leighton Denny for painting a few people's fingernails! LOL!

You didn't read the rest of the thread. He employs people in a factory in Wales, creating jobs and sells worldwide creating business for the UK.

Oh and his children's charity work.

http://www.leightondenny.com/press-release/jeansforgenes.aspx