Sir Gavin Williamson
Here, in Merrie Olde Englande, there are several national honours that are theoretically available to all citizens. At the lowest level and for good service in a wide range of fields you might receive The British Empire Medal (B.E.M.). Moving up, a more prestigious honour is the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) and above that is the O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire). Above that is the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).
Beyond these medals, a man may receive a knighthood and a woman may be awarded a damehood. This gives the bearer the right to be addressed as a "sir" - for example Sir Ian McKellen - who received his knighthood for services to theatre arts - similar to Dame Helen Mirren.
Above this level your have barons and baronesses - a noble honour indeed but not all baronetcies get you a seat in the upper house of parliament - The House of Lords. That place is occupied by unelected hereditary peers, bishops and nominated "Lords" and "Ladies" known as life peers who do not pass their titles on to their children.
It is all very complicated and not always transparent. Some honours are nominally awarded by the monarch and others are political honours. When a prime minister resigns, he or she has the opportunity to make a list of "Resignation Honours". Even the hapless Liz Truss, who was in office for only forty five days during which she exploded our country's economy, may yet get to honour her own chosen citizens.
Johnson was the PM before Truss. He seemed to delight in awarding honours to his chums and supporters - ignoring wise advice and the usual protocols of the honours system. He even had the gall to make his younger brother Joseph a "Lord" - he now sits in The House of Lords as The Lord Johnson of Marylebone. Quite sickening.
But what is more sickening is Johnson's honouring of two especially undeserving men. Firstly - a loyal but ineffectual Conservative politician called Gavin Williamson who ran Johnson's leadership campaign in 2019. Secondly - the forty two year old wealthy son of a Russian KGB agent - Evgeny Lebedev.
Forty six year old Williamson became a "Sir" and a Knight Bachelor for his political "service". And Lebedev became a life peer - Baron Lebedev, of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation. Johnson partied at Lebedev's holiday mansion in Italy on more than one occasion.
Giving these two undeserving men such prestigious honours stinks of corruption and cronyism and insults every hard working and decent citizen on this island and indeed all those who gained their honours on merit. But that is what one might have expected from Johnson. Several of his other nominations are also highly questionable. Perhaps it is really time to scrap The House of Lords and revise The Honours System so that only truly deserving people are honoured.
Lord Lebedev with his pet wolf, Boris
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/L1T7KfO
