Knight of the 'Net

[Peter McGarvey]

* Frank Shute <frank at esperance-linux.co.uk> [2004-01-02 22:25:10 GMT]:
> On Fri, Jan 02, 2004 at 01:58:24PM +0000, Paul Robinson wrote:
> > Peter McGarvey wrote:

> > >Have a look at the list of them that have rejected honours...  A much
> > >more rarefied stratum of society.
> > >
> > Now, I'm not a big fan of the honours system as it stands, however I 
> > think the people who have rejected honours are being churlish and are 
> > only doing so to curry favour with the media. 
> 
> Well, doesn't accepting an honour also curry favour with the media?

IIRC, the list of them that refused honours was leaked.  And surely to
curry favour with the media, the media has to actually know?  Admittedly
I do regard them that get the honour and then send it back are little
more than self-publicists.  Although 99% of the media are
self-publicists with an over inflated opinions of their own worth (and
far to much say in the way the country is run).  So it's all basically a
closed-shop of self-publicising arseholes.

> > Plus, how can you criticise a system that gives Fred Dibnah an MBE? Who 
> > doesn't want to see him accepting that wearing a flat cap?
> 
> But he wont. He'll wear a morning suit & his head will swell so much
> that he can't fit his flat cap on ;) Anyway, he's another worthless
> bloody celebrity. 

Nah, Fred Dibnah is a star.  He's fascinating to watch, and he actually
does stuff.  So he deserves an award.  Although to get it he'll have to
become something he's not.  Which is a true shame.  I'd much rather see
him turn up at the Palace in his beatup old Land-Rover, and demolish the
place...  :-)

Now to Fred that would be an honour.

> 
> > 
> > Although, the same system has honoured Alastair Campbell (knighthood?) 
> > for "service to parliament" which kind of suggests the outcome of the 
> > Kelly enquiry is going to make him look like a lovely bloke, really.
> 
> You really got me worried there until you corrected yourself.
> Inevitably he will get a gong & it's honouring filth like him that
> makes me want to leave the country. 

Well, I'm too lazy to leave the country.  But I'm giving serious
consideration to writing to my MP demanding the right to be officialy
disenfranchised.


> Although perversely, I'm all for keeping hereditary peers - accident of
> birth is a far more democratic way of electing people rather than
> cronyism & political patronage...

I'm of the opinion that the Lottery should be used for picking the
monarch, every five years or so.  I'd also make voting compulsory (fined
a day's wages if you don't), make polling day a public holiday, and add
a box at the bottom of the ballot paper saying "NO VOTE" for them that
don't wish to participate.


-- 
TTFN, FNORD

Peter McGarvey
Freelance FreeBSD Hacker
(will work for bandwidth)