In my diplomatic career I refused three UK honours:
LVO (Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order)
OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
CVO (Commander of the Royal Victorian Order)
On two occasions the Queen personally handed me presents instead. One was a silver armada dish, and one a letter rack made by Viscount Linley. I donated the latter to an auction for Julian Assange’s defence fund. The silver armada dish must be packed away somewhere. If I can dig it out, I shall auction it to raise funds for the SNP! Impeccable provenance.
I turned down the honours because I am a republican and believer in Scottish independence, and explained that to the Queen on one occasion when she asked. To be fair, she was perfectly fine with that.
I was thinking about honours in contemplating:
Lord Janner
Lord Brittan
Sir Peter Hayman
Sir Cyril Smith
Sir Jimmy Savile
That list could be expanded by a great many. I cannot help but think I made the right decision.
“I cannot help but think I made the right decision.”
And WHO could argue with that…..??
Good for you Craig,standing by your principles,and conveying to the highest order,what you believe in.
Meanwhile according to the Herald newspaper,Swedish prosecutors have agreed to question Mr Assange inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
Lawyer Michael Ratner,questioned the morality of judges who refused to take part,at the Commonwealth Law Conference,because Mr Assange was appearing.
Mr Ratner added,judges,would be expected to uphold the right to free speech,and not call, for censorship.
(Posting here as I’m not sure if the comments are closed on the relevant post)
Ex-MI5 spy and whistleblower David Shayler reckons you’re right about the Frenchgate memo being part of a UK government plot (check out his Twitter feed). So much for you lying about this stuff!
I was contemplating,how you refused the honours from HRH,and how she was basically fine with the idea I suppose it’s not the first time its happened to HRH,and it wont be the last either.
So I had a wee search around to see who else declined a royal gong,and it appears that you’re among some esteem company Craig.
Such as,authors JB.Priestley and Roald Dahl,others include Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and LS Lowry.
Here’s a list with quite a few more people who said,thanks but no thanks.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/honours-list/9041875/Revealed-116-people-have-turned-down-an-honour-in-three-years.html
Luke
18/04/2015 1:49 pm
Well, Luke.
Many thanks for that, but is it really a recommendation? Look at the current top item on Shayler’s Twitter feed:
“NASA Discovers Hidden Portals In Earth’s Magnetic Field”
“They found that these portals open and close dozens of times each day. It’s funny, because there is a lot of evidence that points toward the sun being a giant star gate for the ‘gods’ to pass back and forth from other dimensions and universes…”
Maybe.
Shayler’s feed seems crammed with this kind of stuff.
Kind regards,
John
John,
I appreciate that Mr Shayler does/did have psychiatric problems but that still doesn’t render everything he says untrue. Remember that he was imprisoned for breaking the Official Secrets Act and has inside knowledge of how the secret service works.
Luke
18/04/2015 2:11 pm
I do appreciate that, and you are quite right that just because someone has a bee in their bonnet about some things, does not mean they are not to be trusted on anything. David Icke was one of the first and most courageous people to speak about paedophile rings.
What I am saying is, I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that Craig is right just because Shayler supports him. I’d like more credible evidence than that.
Kind regards,
John
In Robert Pirsig’s words: “The world’s biggest idiot can say the sun is shining, but that doesn’t make it dark out.”
J
“Luke”
“Ex-MI5 spy and whistleblower David Shayler reckons you’re right about the Frenchgate memo being part of a UK government plot (check out his Twitter feed). So much for you lying about this stuff!”
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So whether something Craig writes is true or not depends on what David Shayler thinks?
That is – if I may say so – very stupid “reasonong”.
Republicofscotland trumpets:
“I was contemplating,how you refused the honours from HRH,and how she was basically fine with the idea I suppose it’s not the first time its happened to HRH,and it wont be the last either.
So I had a wee search around to see who else declined a royal gong,and it appears that you’re among some esteem company Craig.
Such as,authors JB.Priestley and Roald Dahl,others include Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and LS Lowry.
Here’s a list with quite a few more people who said,thanks but no thanks.”
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From which we gather that many people accept the honour and some – including some eminent people – don’t.
What is your point exactly, RoS?
“I was contemplating,how you refused the honours from HRH,and how she was basically fine with the idea I suppose it’s not the first time its happened to HRH,and it wont be the last either.”
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Amoung the things we learn from Craig’s tale, my dear RepublicOfWhinges, is that the UK is a wonderfully free and open country where someone can refuse an honour, say why in person to the Head of State and live to tell the tale unscathed.
Unlike, probably, what would have happened to him in the countries you seem to admire so much, eg in rasPutin’s Russia.
Jeez, there’s nothing like a thread like this to get the Loonies out of their cells and onto their keyboards, is there.
Or perhaps it’s the sun?
A handy guide to the repetition compulsions of obsessive-compulsive intellectual mediocrity habbakuk
http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a13403/online-harassment-terms-fight-back/
the UK is a wonderfully free and open country where someone can refuse an honour, say why in person to the Head of State and live to tell the tale unscathed.
_________________________________
Yes, I’m sure Charles de Meneze’s parents must be thinking how wonderful the UK is.
I don’t recall,HRH’s intervention in that one.
You definitely did the right thing.
In Denmark, politicians from the Social Liberal party (“Det radikale Venstre” in Danish) and the parties further left (i.e., also the Social Democrats) have traditionally declined all honours, so at official functions you can always tell whether a politician is right or left wing by looking for the ribands stars an a’ that. I think Labour made a gross error by accepting honours.
What is your point exactly, RoS?
____________________
My point is that,obedience gongs from HRH,are by some,considered irrelevant,in this day and age,I’d go as far to say,royalty itself is an archaic decadent institute,that I and many others find offensive.
Republicofscotland
Of course it’s a wonderful place, RoS, despite what happened to poor de Menezes.
Why, even people like you, Mary and various other Loonies who regularly tell us what a fascist, racist shit-hole the UK is and how they hate the place, still live there, I believe.
Even “Nevermind”, who is a foreigner and apparently not yet naturalised and was slagging off the UK on the previous thread, hasn’t moved away yet.
It’s true that “RobG” is currently NOT in the UK – he’s on furlough in Burgundy – but he’ll be back soon to sample the delights of the generous UK welfare state again
Conclusion: if the UK’s Hell then all you non-leavers must be fiery Devils! 🙂
Unlike, probably, what would have happened to him in the countries you seem to admire so much, eg in rasPutin’s Russia.
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Oh dear fishing again are we, I’ll save you the bother,I have stated on previous threads that Im no fan of Putin,you obviously haven’t been paying attention.
Where I differ from you however,is I’m free to see things from both sides,with regards to Russian agression or the unrest in Ukraine,or NATO’s pro-USA agenda,that might send us all to hell in a hand basket.
You however like the media and press must tow the establishment line,thank goodness for social media.
It is indeed a true saying “A lie can be halfway around the world,before the truth has even pulled it’s boots on.”
RoS
“What is your point exactly, RoS?
____________________
My point is that,obedience gongs from HRH,are by some,considered irrelevant”
__________________
Yes, RoS, most of us already knew that and those that didn’t would have understood it from Craig’s post.
Be honest now – you weren’t really making a point, were you, you just felt like posting something…anything.
And now I shall waste no more of my time on you. If you want kicks, try playing with yourself 🙂
Why, even people like you, Mary and various other Loonies who regularly tell us what a fascist, racist shit-hole the UK is and how they hate the place, still live there, I believe.
___________________________
Yes we do,but if you look closely in my case anyway,its Westminster and Whitehall,that most people condemn not the way of life.
Why would that be,why do so many fee, disinfrachised from the establishment and their decisions?
I’m glad that Craig refused the trappings of a corrupt honours system (which should be abolished) and that he did not bend the knee so unlike the erstwhile UK Ambassador to Poland.
There is a photo of Her Maj at the races, eyes shining, on many front pages today. Presumably her horse was placed. That is what is important to the current head of the Battenberg Windsors.
Dear Charles was born genuflecting.
“Even “Nevermind”, who is a foreigner and apparently not yet naturalised and was slagging off the UK on the previous thread, hasn’t moved away yet.”
And why should he, when he has his family children and grandchildren living here.
‘Even nevermind’, hahaha, that is funny, off course, I should be the first to leave under Nigel Habbakuks regime.
‘not yet naturalised’ you have got to be joking, I’m about as natural Saxon as they come, as for becoming British/English, that will not happen,never. I believe in a Europe for all, that its so effing fckued up is down to unwilling representatives, lobbied incompetences, appointees, just as you.
Those who promised to make it work, i.e.our current crop of self serving politicians, hanging on strings to big business, have whimsically failed to serve anybody buts themselves, they have ruined Europe for us.
A reformed Europe is nigh, sadly Britain does not want to cooperate but dictate and hence won’t be part of this reform.
Should Europe fail its down to the fact that its politicians could not get it together, make it work for people. They made it work for corporations who now think they can force a TTIP down our throats.
I don’t think Habbakuk is English or British, he acts like some leftover Radjhi who has been thrown out of India, trying to spill his empirical moods all over this blog.
Perhaps HRH Harry Wales could be given the job of finding the missing plane – MH370.
Prince Harry on reconnaissance flight in Australia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32365097
MH370 search area could be extended
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32331650
I rather like the letter rack made by Viscount Linley.
Howabout people who accepted gongs but then later gave them back? John Lennon springs immediately to mind. He returned his MBE on September 1st 1969, in protest of Britain’s involvement in Biafra, Britain’s continuing support of the Vietnam war, and the banning of his anti-drug song ‘Cold Turkey’ due to drug references.
Nevermind
““Even “Nevermind”, who is a foreigner and apparently not yet naturalised and was slagging off the UK on the previous thread, hasn’t moved away yet.”
And why should he, when he has his family children and grandchildren living here.”
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So you not only condemn yourself to live in a fascist banana republic (as you called the UK) but you inflict the same horror on members of your family and even on your innocent grandchildren.
Shame on you, Nevermind! 🙂
The following from Mary (posing this time as a Hilde Benjamin):
“There is a photo of Her Maj at the races, eyes shining, on many front pages today. Presumably her horse was placed. That is what is important to the current head of the Battenberg Windsors.”
______________
Is Her Gracious Majesty not allowed to have any hobbies and interests outside her constitutional functions?
And should she not be allowed to enjoy such hobbies and interests?
RobG
“Howabout people who accepted gongs but then later gave them back? John Lennon springs immediately to mind. He returned his MBE on September 1st 1969, in protest of Britain’s involvement in Biafra, Britain’s continuing support of the Vietnam war, and the banning of his anti-drug song ‘Cold Turkey’ due to drug references.”
_________________
That’s very interesting, Rob. “Howabout” indeed!
You mention “people” – are there any others that spring to your mind other than John Lennon?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And enjoy the vino this evening – drink responsibly as they say! 🙂
“Perhaps HRH Harry Wales could be given the job of finding the missing plane – MH370.”
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That would be a terrible waste of public finds in this time of austerity, Lambkin.
As any fule no, the missing plane is hidden in a hangar on Diego Garcia.
Mr Goss said so.
Habba, according to Wikipedia here’s a list of people who at first accepted a gong and then later renounced it (including, of course, John Lennon)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declining_a_British_honour#Renouncing_an_honour
But I do think ‘Sir Craig Murray’ or ‘Lord Murray’ has a certain ring to it. I’ll start contacting the children’s care homes.