Two Lib Dems at the Palace to collect honours

By The Voice | Fri 28th October 2016 - 3:20 pm

Yesterday Merlene Toh Emerson and Jen Yockney went to the Palace to collect their MBEs. Marlene was awarded for her public and political service and Jen for services to the bisexual community.

Here they are together with some great colour co-ordination:

Congrats @libdems @jenyockney! Pic at our investiture #BuckinghamPalace today w HRH #sexualdiversity #britishempire pic.twitter.com/blPitVAr04

— Merlene Toh Emerson (@merleneemerson) October 27, 2016

This is what we said at the time their awards were announced.

Merlene Toh Emerson is awarded an MBE for “political and public service”. Merlene was the Liberal Democrat Candidate for the London Assembly, West Central Constituency in 2008 and was third on our London list this year. She was also Parliamentary Candidate for Hammersmith in May 2010. A City solicitor turned mediator, Merlene is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of the World Traders livery company and has been on a number of official visits to China, Hongkong and Central Asia as a British Chinese politician. She is on the executive of Liberal International British Group and serves on the Liberal Democrat International Relations Committee. Merlene has a very interesting blog here.

Jen Yockney becomes an MBE “for services to the Bisexual Community”. On her website, Jen is described as:

…one of the most prominent bisexual community activists in the UK, having worked on giving bisexual communities support and voice for the past twenty-plus years…She is active in many levels of community work: frontline support at the UK’s oldest bisexual support group; publications and policy-making such as initiating meetings between the bi volunteer / activist community and GEO; and as a mentor actively reaching out to new volunteers to help bi groups and projects around the country blossom.

4 Comments

DJ 28th Oct '16 - 7:11pm

If people being commended for their actions make me ask who they are before reading their “biography” and seeing that they’ve spent a long time trying to help people I agree with the system. However, too often those being commended fail that test.

Congratulations to both in this case.
Tony Dawson 28th Oct '16 - 7:44pm

Two great people. It’s just that the entire honours system sucks.
Dave Page 30th Oct '16 - 8:01pm

From a Lib Dem POV, it’s worth mentioning that Jen is the administrator for North West Liberal Democrats and does a fantastic job of keeping the region going.

Jen is also a former chair, and a current Vice-President, of LGBT+ Lib Dems. Jen’s work rebuilding the organisation in the late Naughties was instrumental in getting the policy and campaign base in place that helped the Liberal Democrats deliver same-sex marriage in Government.
R Uduwerage-Perera 31st Oct '16 - 12:02pm

Dear Sister Merlene,

Congratulations. Your work with specifically the Chinese community here in the U.K. In providing a voice has for too long gone unrecognised.

This is a well deserved acknowledgment for your inspiring achievements in both political and community engagement.

Yours sincerely and fraternally,

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Chair – Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats