An Article written by General Wrant.
I was chatting to someone the other day, clearly the fellow didn’t know me any more than I knew him, or he wouldn’t have reassured me that ‘Old Ranter’ had died a while back. Though the remark did momentarily take the wind out of my sails , I but commented that they didn’t make the like of him any more. His response to that was that there’s a silver lining to every cloud. The fellow went on to tell me that he had just been honoured by The Queen for ‘Services to Macramé.’ So I congratulated him. Obviously he was a very sound sort of a chap, amidst the plethora of the less skilled and incompetents who now grace her Majesty’s New Year and Birthday Honours lists.
Having a handle to my own name, and being myself possessed of Decorations, occasions me with opportunities to visit many a Charity and Good Cause, and there, be introduced to volunteers who day in and day out ‘man the pumps that actually deliver the goods’. I feel humiliated to observe how little officialdom recognises the contribution that each and everyone of those volunteers makes towards the welfare of the less fortunate, whilst seemingly falling over to honour its own cronies, and ineffectively balancing the books with a stream of inexplicable awards to persons of no obvious accomplishment, often on a basis of Multicultural Political Correctitude. Maybe a Public Service Award would separate the Sheep from the Goats. well enough.
Its not that Volunteers who serve; stand and wait for anything. But others such as I may wonder whether the Honours system is worth its candle? There was that old understanding of an MBE being described as My (Own) Effort, whilst the OBE was referred to as the effort of Others.
A while back the Military Cross was awarded only to Commissioned Officers, whilst other ranks had to be contented with maybe The Military Medal. Quite rightly now all may gain the Military Cross. Possibly the OBE and the MBE, and this British Empire Medal should become one, for currently the distinction between them is seldom more than a matter of Social Class. One best not write what one thinks of persons elevated to The House Of Lords, lest one finds oneself hauled before its Bar for contempt ,however the sooner its remaining Hereditary Peers and unelected Placemen are put out to grass the better. Let’s face it many Hereditary Peerages were purchased. I know that an ancient kinsman of mine embellished his Baronetcy by purchasing an Irish Earldom from King Charles. His line having failed, the Earldom has since been recycled for the use of a Duke of the Current Blood Royal, from whose forebears in office so many of the rest of us are, if only matrilineally descended.
Lady Phyllis and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the very best for the year ahead.
Recommend Iolanthe on this web site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BnXznX0eaU&feature=player_detailpage
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