Forum Topic

Dame

With no disrespect to Sheila Hancock why has other Chiswick resident Sylvia Syms not been made a dame. She has done a great deal of charity work going back to children with cerebral palsy in the sixties. She is also an exceptionally fine actress with a career spanning over 60 years.

J P Simpson ● 2117d6 Comments

That's the honours lottery for you. More about who you know (and who knows you) than what you do. I have never understood the logic of rewarding people for just doing their job, no matter how well, be they actors, sportspeople, businessmen/women or (worst of all) politicians and civil servants. It's also insulting  when these honours are given so early in a person's life as tends to happen with sports stars.There should definitely be a requirement to have contributed selflessly to society. Back in the 1950s my grandfather received the (recently revived) B.E.M. - the lowest ranked award of them all. It wasn't for his military service or his lowly job but for having devoted over 50 years of his life serving as a lifeboat volunteer. More people like that should get gongs - kicking a ball around, being on the telly or making loads of money come pretty low down my list as reasons to be ennobled.

Bruce Hammal ● 2117d

Maybe she was offered one and turned it down? That does happen.

Susan Kelly ● 2117d

I wouldn't think so. She told me when I interviewed her that she doubted she was the kind of actress they would consider. She was made an OBE so that's something at least.

J P Simpson ● 2117d

It's mostly a load of archaic rubbish anyway imo.

Keith Iddon ● 2117d

Just ignore the idea It comes up every year why someone did or did not and why they should not in some cases.

Julian Pavey ● 2117d

The deeper issue (if you actually care about the integrity of the honours system which I suspect a lot do not) is the number of people who are given an honour when under the general rules, there are either conflicts of interest involved or questions over the recipients suitability to be addressed which are simply swept aside. The issue of personal patronage has been there for decades (if not centuries) but the quandary is highlighted by the last two honours lists from Boris.

Joe Conneely ● 2117d