Congratulations to all these prominent Liberal Democrats who appear in the New Year’s Honours list:
- Roger Williams, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and founder member of the former Social Democratic Party: CBE
- Rodney Berman, former Liberal Democrat leader of Cardiff council: OBE
- Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole: OBE
- Andrew Wiseman: OBE
- Fiona Hall, Liberal Democrat MEP for the North East and leader of Liberal Democrat MEPs: MBE
- Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat Leader on the London Assembly: MBE
Please use the comments below to tell us about other Lib Dems who have been honoured.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
5 Comments
Rosie Sharpley, Liberal Democrat councillor in Surrey: MBE
Really pleased for Annette, Caroline and Fiona
James Saville OBE, Cyril Smith MBE. Why was Gary Glitter never honoured?
In Southport we had our own little ‘Honours episode’ between two councillors who wanted honours beyond the confines of the British Empire:
http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/southport-southport-news/2012/03/22/what-sparked-the-honours-storm-between-sir-ron-watson-and-cllr-les-byrom-101022-30595407/
No – no congratulations unless someone tells us what they’ve been given FOR. If its for being an MP – something they decided to do and for which they get paid – then it’s exactly the sort of thing we as Lib Dems are against – establishment handing out of baubles as part of the rations. If they’ve done something above and beyond which deserves the recognition, please tell us what it is.
Martin, I agree we want to know what they have been given for. It is surely the prime purpose to encourage others to public service beyond their paid job and it does not do that unless we know what people have received the honour for.
There will always be those who deserved an honour but don’t get it and I do not think we can complain about that. However, what does concern me is that I have known a small number of people who have been given an honour for voluntary work which I and others knew was not exceptional; the ‘honour’ happened just because they sucked up to the right people and messages were passed up that grossly exaggerated their work and ignored the bad things local people knew they had been doing.