I’m not a fan of
the British Honours system. The awarding
of honours, often related to a long-defunct empire, to ‘ordinary’ people acts
as a veneer for an archaic system of power and patronage.
I’m not a fan of
Fred Goodwin either. He was one of the
greedy bankers whose poor decision-making caused the collapse of some
institutions, made the financial crisis worse, and caused misery for millions.
Add the two
together, and I’m hardly likely to shed a tear for him over the removal of
his knighthood. There are, though, some
aspects of what happened which leave me with an uneasy feeling.
The first is the
pretence that the decision was made by the monarch on the recommendation of
some independent committee of senior civil servants who assessed his case and
found it to be so severe that he, and he alone, should be unknighted (or perhaps
deknighted?). If there was ever a
political decision, this was it.
Politics was of the essence here, with the need to respond to the
outrage whipped up by the tabloid media.
The idea that this decision was made in an entirely unbiased way by civil
servants is simply not credible.
The second is the
arbitrariness of the decision. There
seems to be no sense of careful weighing of the pros and cons, considering
precedent, or looking at other, equally – if not more – undeserving cases. Even rich and greedy individuals are surely
entitled to some sort of due process which doesn’t single them out on an
arbitrary basis in response to the baying of the mob.
The third is the
feeling that he’s been scapegoated; sacrificed on the altar of public opinion
to atone for the sins not only of himself but of others too. It’s as if the Establishment somehow believe
that by throwing one of their own to the wolves, the wolves will be sated and
will not come after the rest of them.
And the worst
aspect of all is that I have a horrible suspicion that the Establishment will be right to think that, they’ll get away with
the sacrifice, and the cosy little system will then carry on as if nothing had
happened.
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2 comments:
There was a list published recently of all those people who have turned down honours over the years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16736495
Full list
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/document2012-01-24-075439.pdf
Back on topic I wonder if this doesn't set a precedent. Fred Goodwin was given an honour for being good at what he does. Then he had it taken off him for being rubbish at what he did.
What happens to a sports person, say Zara Phillips for example. She was good at what she did and was given an MBE. Then she broke her horse and had to pull out of the Olympics but still kept her MBE.
What about Martin Johnson. Won a world cup as a player, given a CBE. Turns his country in an absolute disgrace on and off the field and gets to keep it.
Yes these are tongue in cheek but where is the continuity?
What about hittin peopele where it hurts and taking his 300k ension off him, that he might notice not being Sir Fred will hardly dent his day. Then again is anyone deserving of a 300 K pension, well maybe a few street cleaners dinner ladies and nurses who have slogged all their lives not a banker whose usual lunch stop is the Ritz
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