ARISE SIR LEWIS!.

[raptor9]

Knighthood for Lewis Hamilton in New Years Honours. Well deserved, tho' I could never understand why Eric 'Winkle' Brown didn't receive one!!.

[slogen51]

Wow!

I didn't see that coming especially at such a young age and still racing. David Beckham must be sick!

[slogen51]

Knighthood for Lewis Hamilton in New Years Honours. Well deserved, tho' I could never understand why Eric 'Winkle' Brown didn't receive one!!.

He was a CBE which is pretty good but being Scottish probably didn't help

[XWP29]

Knighthood for Lewis Hamilton in New Years Honours. Well deserved, tho' I could never understand why Eric 'Winkle' Brown didn't receive one!!.

That’s the way the honours system goes, those that really deserve it are often over looked. Anyone living in a tax haven shouldn’t get one.

[raptor9]

Yeah, I knew the tax haven thing would come. Are we sure he doesn't pay tax in this country??. My information has it that he pays tax in four countries, including this one!!. The reason people like him, and other well known people live in Monaco is that papparazzi are not allowed in the Principality, and one cannot ignore his achievements, and the work he does in this country for Black Lives Matter, working with kids etc. Much more deserving than Knighthoods for people who pretend to be other people [actors]. I certainly think that the system is rather antiquated and needs overhauling though.

[plmc135]

Hopefully the last joke of the year

[Pune]

Well done Lewis, enough said.

[100arw]

Knighthood for Lewis Hamilton in New Years Honours. Well deserved, tho' I could never understand why Eric 'Winkle' Brown didn't receive one!!.

That’s the way the honours system goes, those that really deserve it are often over looked. Anyone living in a tax haven shouldn’t get one.

For a number of years anyone can nominate anyone. You can even nominate yourself!

The problem with the system therefore lies with friends, colleagues and workmates, who do not bother to nominate someone they know and who deserves it.

P.

[XWP29]

Knighthood for Lewis Hamilton in New Years Honours. Well deserved, tho' I could never understand why Eric 'Winkle' Brown didn't receive one!!.

That’s the way the honours system goes, those that really deserve it are often over looked. Anyone living in a tax haven shouldn’t get one.

For a number of years anyone can nominate anyone. You can even nominate yourself!

The problem with the system therefore lies with friends, colleagues and workmates, who do not bother to nominate someone they know and who deserves it.

P.

I’ll call that out as an over simplification. The problem is the lack of transparency in the decision making which means it’s loaded in the favour of certain, elite, groups. Irrespective of the nominations process.
The tweaking of the system a few years ago should not fool anyone.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... stem-works

[raptor9]

According to HMRC Tax Liabilities Statistics Review, in 2019, Hamilton was in the top 5,000 of U.K. Tax payers.

[Vulcan74]

I think I will nominate myself for next year!!!

[ChrisCwmbran]

In my view (not that anybody cares I'm sure) nobody should get an honour for doing something that has made them rich and/or allowed them to live a life of celebrity.

The only time such people should get honors is for things like charity work - stuff other than that which made them rich.

[baz1]

if anyone needs a Gong its the scientists who designed the new foolproof Astra-Zeneca Vaccine not Blair /brown

[Skywatcher]

Much deserved one of my favourite drivers of all time ,hopefully he keeps getting those records (and making new ones )

[XWP29]

In my view (not that anybody cares I'm sure) nobody should get an honour for doing something that has made them rich and/or allowed them to live a life of celebrity.

The only time such people should get honors is for things like charity work - stuff other than that which made them rich.

Totally agree

[XWP29]

if anyone needs a Gong its the scientists who designed the new foolproof Astra-Zeneca Vaccine not Blair /brown

10% of the 1200 or so went to the NHS and allied staff. That’s just plain wrong this year.

[XWP29]

According to HMRC Tax Liabilities Statistics Review, in 2019, Hamilton was in the top 5,000 of U.K. Tax payers.

That’s fair enough in itself but I remember the Jet tax headlines of a few years ago.

[raptor9]

XP. That's also fair enough, but I very much doubt that L.H. had either the time, or the knowledge. to look over his Accountants shoulders all the time!. Certainly didn't have the time to do that in my very modest business!!. Happy New Year. everyone, though I think 2022 will be much better!.

[100arw]

Out of interested and generated buy some of the previous posts about the lack of NHS nominations, please say if you put forward a NHS worker for a nomination?

[verreli]

In my view (not that anybody cares I'm sure) nobody should get an honour for doing something that has made them rich and/or allowed them to live a life of celebrity.

The only time such people should get honors is for things like charity work - stuff other than that which made them rich.

Totally agree

Sort of. I don't think the current system is too bad. It's the implementation and politicisation that is the problem. The honours system should reflect exceptional service to the Nation over and above that of your peers. That can be achieved by doing your job or for charitable contribution. My job doesn't benefit the Nation in prestige or standing and I don't achieve much beyond that of my peers so I shouldn't really expect anything anytime soon. An NHS worker could be argued that their job does benefit the Nation but do they achieve much beyond their peers? I believe that in the cases where exceptional performance is achieve it is reflected with a gong and that's why c.10% of the gongs this year went to the NHS. Turning up is not a qualifier.

The ranking system also isn't too bad. MBE, often colloquialised to 'My Bl00dy Effort', OBE colloquialised to 'Other Buggers Effort' with CBE and KBE reserved for leadership roles. In Lewis's case he didn't lead Mercedes to the championships (that was Toto Wolff) and he couldn't have achieved his results without the Mercedes team so an OBE is the right level. i.e. he has achieved his results through other buggers efforts. Unfortunately his celebrity status skews the system and that's where the problem lies. It was the same for Andy Murray having been handed a Knighthood for winning a couple of Tennis Championships. In his case an MBE was the right level. For renowned actors an MBE should be all they get and that should be enough. The exception should be for someone like Tom Cruise (I know he isn't British). In the movie industry he has transcended his leading actor role and now leads a prestigious organisation that generates reputation for his nation and tax revenue which benefits the people. For someone like that the highest honour is appropriate. A director such as Ridley Scott (Brit) should also qualify although in his case the prestige and tax revenue went to the USA so didn't benefit the UK. This should prevent him getting a UK gong unless it does. With that in mind, if Andy Murray set up a Tennis academy and that academy then produced another grand slam champion, he should get a higher gong. In Lewis's case, if he sets up a team (like his X44 Extreme E team) that employs a significant staff headcount and that goes on to win a prominent world championship then again a higher honour is deserved. Unfortunately that's not where we are right now.