I’m skimming through a few web articles when I run across this tidbit on GMN:
I figured out:
OBE - Order of the British Empire
MBE - Member of the British Empire
CBE - Companion of the British Empire
Okay, through a quick google search, I found a few answers, but I am still confused.
What are the differences among the accolades? Which is higher, which are harder to earn? Does a person get each of these in order before being knighted?
Is it at the whim of the Sovereign or is there a committee?
Is there a difference between ones for civillians and military? Any differences for those who reside in the UK vs. outside (Australia, Canada)? Are residents of former colonies (Jamaica, Bermuda) still eligible?
Some of the google sites listed “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”. Bill and Ted aside, is this a different award or a more formal name?
Are the medal and the letters after your name the only tangible benefits? Better seating in restaurants? Tax write-off?
And is the ‘Thunderbirds’ that great for him to be getting an MBE? I’m not sure if Shari Lewis and ‘Lambchop’ got a Congressional Medal of Honor, but I imagine that would be about the same thing.
Civil/military: Yes, according to … http://ebooks.whsmithonline.co.uk/encyclopedia/33/M0018033.htm. Residents outside the UK can’t call themselves “Sir” when they’re knighted, e.g. Steven Spielberg. I believe anyone is eligible - Spielberg is American which is a VERY former colony :).
Generic term for the 5 orders. - see the link to 1 above.
You get an entry in Who’s Who. Oodles of intangible benefits - you become a valuable corporate commodity with the higher orders. Nice to have a Sir So-and-so on the board, etc.
AFAIK, Lambchop is an honorary member of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.
Unnecessary editorial footnote: it’s all to do with rewarding those who further the cause of the British Empire, a bit outdated as a concept but the list still receives pretty large publicity in the UK media. Despite the anachronistic nature, there is generally good feeling in the UK about the awards - they’re widely viewed as a non-political “we really appreciate what you’ve done” gesture, e.g. Dudley Moore.
These are a recognition of service to the UK in a surprisingly wide area.
Gary Mabbut is a well known soccer player having represented England and his club Tottenham Hotspur at the very highest levels, but what make his achievement all the more outstanding and an inspiration to others is that he is also diabetic and has overcome this condition spectacularly well.He was duly awarded the MBE.
There are those who have lived all their lives trying to improve the lot of others, somtimes in fairly small ways, such as school crossing wardens who have recieved honours.
The OBE and MBE honours tend to be bestowed on those in sport, music, or others who seem to fairly deserve the recognition of the state but I find that the honours bestowed on senior civil servants who get them for simply doing their expected work less acceptable, and the captains of industry have plenty of rewards offered by their boards of directors, and yet such awards are usually of a highr ranking.
I do find it odd, or even offensive that Canada, or maybe its just Mr Cretien, thinks that he/it has some god given right to be consulted whenever a person who has dual British-Canadian nationality is presented with awards, this in light of the fact that it has been done before without Canadian interferance for decades.
Yes they are anachronistic but I really do not see why Canada should intervene in the affairs of British citizens.
That is a matter for we Brits to deal with, not some opportunistic politically motivated foreigner.
So does Chretien insist on being part of the choosing process, or merely having one hand on the medal as it is being presented to the recipient? I’m confused over this point.
PM Chrétien has stated, in a case that has received considerable publicity, that Canada’s policy is that Canadians should not be given honours that involve a title, such as “Sir” or “Lord.” This dates back to a resolution of the Canadian House of Commons around 1920, which has been implemented by the Prime Minister advising the monarch not to confer titles on Canadian citizens. casdave, I would suggest it’s not so much an issue of Canada interfering in Britain’s affairs (gee, it didn’t seem to be a problem with the shoe was on the other foot), as the fact that if a person has dual citizenship, they may have conflicting obligations to their different countries. Canadian citizens don’t get titles. If Conrad Black’s Canadian citizenship means so little to him that he’ll give it up so he can call himself Lord Black of Broadmoor, or some such thing, fine; but he can’t keep Canadian citizenship and then pout that Canadians don’t get titles.
As well, so long as we share a common head of state, both PM Chrétien and PM Blair have equal rights to advise her on matters within their respective jurisdictions, such as honours for Canadian citizens (Chrétien) and British subjects (Blair). To avoid a constitutional crisis, they have to agree on the advice, or agree not to give conflicting advice, which is what PM Blair did in the Black case - learning that PM Chrétien opposed it, he did not put the issue of a title for Black to Her Majesty.
As for the issue of Canada not objecting in the past - after the Commons resolution in 1920, the PM of the day communicated it to His Majesty. Prime Minister Bennett relaxed the prohbition for a period in the 30s, but ever since then Canada’s position has been that there’s no titles. The British government chose not to consult with the Canadian government over some titles in the past, but that doesn’t mean that the Canadian government has somehow lost its right to object anytime it is consulted.
This is the one question which has not been covered above. The Queen plays no part in the selection of most of the recipients. Her role is simply to hand the medals over. It is the Prime Minister who ultimately decides who gets what. Having said that, the process is largely carried out by a sub-department of civil servants attached to No. 10. The basic idea is that they sift through all the letters they receive suggesting suitable candidates. Of course, one’s chances of getting the honour is infinitely greater if the suggestion comes from a major public body or one of the leading charities than if your mate, Joe Bloggs, writes in recommending you as a friend. The Ministry of Defence handles the recommendations for the military awards while the Foreign Office handles the diplomatic ones. The Prime Minister can make personal nominations of his/her own, although by convention he/she also accepts any nominations submitted by the leaders of the other major political parties. There is now a committee of the Privy Council which can veto any of the names, supposedly as a check against the system being abused by the politicians. A few of the honours are reserved as the personal gift of the Queen. In the list you saw, these were those of the Royal Victorian Order, which is used to reward members of the Royal Household.
The Canadian problem appears to have arisen as an oversight on the part of No. 10. That it should have done so is all the more extraordinary given that the whole sorry tale of Conrad Black’s peerage was still rumbling on.
Hey thanks for all the info. I’m getting a lot more here than I did from searches.
So, um, who is Conrad Black, when did this happen and why did he get one? Got a link to the story? (I’m several hundred kilometers south & southwest of y’all, and the shortwave radio is broken.)
Most interesting! Thank you fierra & Northern Piper. Heck, thanks everyone!
So I’ll just re-adjust my grand plan - get the honors first, then claim Canadian citizenship.
screech-owl - that would work, actually - it’s only a prohibition on a Canadian citizen being given an honour. In fact, a Canadian citizen can inherit an honour without a problem - during the patriation debate in 1981-82, one of the members of the House of Lords who spoke on the issue was a rancher from Alberta - who was descended from some younger son who had been shipped off to the colonies, and who had inherited the title when the side of the family in Britain died off.
