Sincere congratulations to most of the people included in last night’s New Year’s Honours list!
But then there’s the nomination of Alison Saunders, a former Director of Public Prosecution who oversaw a string of collapsed rape trials when it turned out that the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) had not shared some evidence with defence lawyers. And the knighthood offered to Iain Duncan Smith who as an MP was responsible for the conservative government’s controversial and shambolic Universal Credit system.
The question that needs answers is no doubt, should government officials and politicians be honoured for simply doing their often very well paid job? Aren’t we all expected to be decent, live our lives and do our work to the best of our abilities? Shouldn’t that be the standard? Do such nominations reward failure? If we had less or none of these controversies, the honours extended to ordinary citizens for their truly outstanding achievements would stand out so much more.
I am just glad the rumours who predicted a knighthood for Nigel Farage were not confirmed and we won’t be hearing ‘Arise, Sir Nigel’.
The grumpy older man 