Tag Archives: honours

I lost my job following the General Election of May 2015 after nearly 35 years of working in and around politics.  MPs are not generally held in high esteem but in my experience, they are overwhelmingly decently motivated.

An exception is the blind spot of political parties, including on occasion the Lib Dems, for the political honours system.

Lynton Crosby, said to have been paid £500,000 for his work on behalf of the Tories and with no long term commitment to the UK was the outrage six months ago.  Now we have David Cameron’s resignation list.  And so it goes on. The other parties condemn but then go on to do the same.

Way down the honours list you find British Empire Medals. BEMs are given to individuals for dedication and hard work in their communities, typically for unpaid voluntary work, sometimes over decades. Not glamorous or high profile and certainly not profitable.  Recently a 99 year old received a BEM for 50 years of service to her community.  Another elderly recipient was an Auschwitz survivor who volunteers with the Holocaust Memorial Trust. Ordinary people giving their time altruistically and sometimes extraordinarily, for no financial reward.