"Anonymous" The Movie--Nick Verreos Weighs in on the Costumes for myLifetime.com!!!

Was Shakespeare A Fraud? Don't know but the Costumes are FABULOUS!!

On October 28th, a new Costume Period Drama will debut in theaters: "Anonymous". The movie involves the controversial question: Was Shakespeare a Fraud? "Anonymous" is a political thriller advancing the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays; set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her. It stars Vanessa Redgrave as the older Elizabeth I, Joely Richardson as the younger, Rhys Ifans as the 17th Earl of Oxford and supposed actual "William Shakespeare". It is directed by Roland Emmerich.

I was asked to comment on the fabulous costumes (via stills of the film) which were created by Costume Designer Lisy Christl, on the myLifetime.com site and I just jumped at the chance!!

Here's a "Corset-and-Jerkin" Amuse Bouche:

Fashion Diva In-The-Making

The younger Princess Elizabeth Tudor:

Although we are accustomed to seeing the over-the-top images of “The Queen” in all her regal splendor, here she is as a “younger, fresher” royal (portrayed by Joely Richardson). Still, she stands out, because of the sumptuousness of her light blue brocade silk gown...continue reading

A Red (BROCADE) Carpet Showdown

Earl of Oxford:
The young Earl of Oxford is being introduced here to his tutors and as any Renaissance Fashion Dandy would know, this was a perfect time to "bring it" in terms of dressing! It was HIS Red Carpet Moment...continue reading

Dancing with the Elizabethan Stars

Princess Elizabeth of Tudor and Earl of Oxford:
Although Elizabeth was known as "the Virgin Queen", she looks anything but in this photo with the younger Earl of Oxford. I absolutely love how fabulous his costume is here. He is Dressed To Impress, a Peacock in the Court if you were: The elegant ivory brocade Doublet and...continue reading

For the Entire Photo Gallery and my "Nick Two Cents" CLICK HERE!!!!

Sir Brian Souter; For Services to Homophobia and Union Bashing

Sir Brian of Stagecoach

After the awards yesterday of the Queen’s Birthday Honours we have to proclaim “Arise Sir Brian Souter of Stagecoach in the County of Perthshire; For Services to Homophobia, predatory approach to competitors and Union Bashing! “ Indeed there is no truth to the rumour that Sir Brian earned his gong for services to the carrier bag industry as in the past he has been famous for turning up to meetings with stuffed shirt bankers open necked and with paperwork in a carrier bag. In fact the official citation on his being granted a Knighthood yesterday actually says:

“ Brian Souter. Chief executive, Stagecoach Group plc. For services to Transport and to the Voluntary Sector. (Perth, Perth and Kinross)”

Now I am (to say the least) not a fan of the British Honours System but even by the strange standards of such things Brian Souter’s Noble Elevation is what Mark Twain would have called a “bit of a stretcher.”

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-year-dishonour.html

In 2000 Brian Souter spent £1 million bankrolling Keep The Clause, a campaign to stop the repeal of Section 28 in Scotland. So who fixed it for Mr Souter to get a gong this time round? Could it be connected to his recent £500,000 donation to the Scottish National Party?



Scotland has been subjected to a dirty gay-bashing campaign on a level not seen since the tabloid hysteria over so called 'loony left' councils in London in the late 1980s. Brian Souter, the multi-millionaire boss of the union-busting Stagecoach Transport Empire, and member of the deeply homophobic Christian fundamentalist sect the Church of the Nazarene, assembled a rag tag coalition of the religious right and other social reactionaries to oppose the repeal of anti-gay legislation by the Scottish Executive. The subsequent campaign of lies and misinformation by his Keep the Clause organisation has borne the hallmarks of the media frenzy which ushered in Margaret Thatcher's gay-basher's charter 12 years ago. Speakers appeared under banners declaring “protect our children.”



Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act (known as Section 2a in Scotland but commonly referred to as Section 28) was introduced by the Tories on the back of a series of lurid stories in the right wing tabloids about the supposedly 'politically correct' policies of London Labour councils. Council initiatives to address discrimination against lesbian and gay people, black people, and women were misrepresented and distorted out of all recognition. According to the tabloids, children were being force fed a diet of gay propaganda at school.



Stagecoach Group plc has operated buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her now ex-husband Robin Gloag with two buses in Perth. The Group benefited from the rapid privatisation (and cutbacks) The group is based in Perth, Scotland and has operations in the United Kingdom and has had operations in North America and New Zealand. Stagecoach has often found itself 'on the wrong side of the Competition Commission and faced sharp media criticism over its predatory approach to smaller operators.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach_Group

'Bitter "bus wars" broke out in towns and cities throughout Britain as Stagecoach took on the local competition, often forcing the competitor to abandon traditional markets and sometimes causing the collapse of smaller operators. 'This was through aggressive pricing and timing, often running more buses on a route than necessary and just a few minutes ahead of the competition.'



I am not alone in feeling that a person who has benefited from the scandal of Bus Privatisation which saw publicly owned assets flogged off at knockdown prices, has bankrolled Homophobia, been a consistent Union Basher and engaged in abusive competition should not be awarded a Knighthood effectively (despite what the citation says) for a political donation. I am not alone and there is now an online petition against his award which you can sign. The petition says;

“We the undersigned are deeply offended that Brian Souter has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2011.

Mr. Souter ran a campaign of fear and misinformation which was deeply hurtful to the LGBT community in Scotland.

The Keep The Clause Campaign increased hatred towards an already victimised group and saw a corresponding increase in violence against LGBT people.

We believe that it is wrong for such a person to be given such a high honour by Her Majesty The Queen and call on HM Government to withdraw this award.”

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/notosoutersknighthood/

Here is the unintentionally hilarious press release from his hired PR help;

http://www.beattiegroup.com/prclients/pr-press-releases.aspx?news=31&id=10970

A Brucie Bonus at long last!

Brucie Bonus! Good game! Good game!

Today is Queen Elizabeth’s “Official Birthday.” She was 85 in April and her husband Prince Philip was 90 yesterday so between them they have clocked up some mileage and are not looking too bad on it. In the United Kingdom, the Queen's Official Birthday is now celebrated on the first, second, or third Saturday in June, although it is rarely the third. It is marked in London by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which is also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade. The Queen's Official Birthday does not coincide with when she was born. Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, and whose birthday was on 9 November, in autumn, moved the ceremony to summer in the hope of good weather. The Queen celebrates her actual birthday on 21st April. The Trooping of the Colour is an impressive display of pageantry and is carried out by her personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute.


Trooping the Colour, Horseguards Parade, London

Each year in the UK the tedium of half empty newsrooms is relived by the tiresome bi- annual ritual of the Honours List where the Crown grants “honours” at New Year and on the Queen’s official birthday. The honours are a sundry lot of Knighthoods and various grades of medals. Heading it up are a list of celebs - Actors, public figures, community representatives and so forth who have received an “Honour from her Majesty the Queen” for some outstanding “service” or other. As always the list includes the great, the good, the deserving and the frankly baffling. The”Honours” list is always something of a dog's dinner, a mixture of Buggin's turn and the cheapest populism, and you don’t even see the lists of people who have quietly declined honours which might help you make sense of it all.


Mr and Mrs Queen at the Trooping of the colour

Two of the most notable omissions have been the popular entertainer Bruce Forsyth and a certain Ringo Starkey from Liverpool, better known as Ringo Starr, the oldest of the Beatles. Well some amends have been made this time as Brucie, our much loved veteran TV entertainer, has been rewarded with a knighthood, after a populist campaign launched last year. A collective sigh of relief was heard across Britain, quickly followed by a suitably awful pun: "Knight to see you, to see you knight." At 83 the evergreen entertainer Bruce Forsyth has finally got his long-predicted knighthood.


Knight to see you, to see you knight!

The nod comes in the Queen's 2011 birthday honours list – one of 965 people whose diverse services to society, including David Cameron's "big society", are recognised on Saturday. It’s ruffled Piers’ Morgan’s feathers who when he was overlooked in the New Year Honours and he said on Twitter: “Utterly ridiculous that Bruce Forsyth still hasn’t been knighted. What more must he do than be a multi-talented star for SEVEN decades?” Well maybe at 83 Bruce is expecting too much too soon?

Entertainer Bruce Forsyth says he is "very proud" after being knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours. The recognition comes after years of campaigning by fans and a parliamentary Early Day Motion signed by 73 MPs. Sir Bruce's career has spanned almost 70 years, including presenting TV hits such as The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and, most recently, Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One. He is known for greeting audiences with his catchphrase, "Nice to see you, to see you nice."


Bang the drum for Ringo!

He was made an OBE in 1998 and a CBE in 2005 and since then there has been considerable speculation about when he might be knighted. A spokesman for the Cabinet Office, which manages the honours system, said: "Generally speaking, committees like to see another four or five years' further achievement or service before they start to consider a further award."

Sir Bruce said;

"I feel very proud that my career hasn't been in vain. I just love getting out there and performing and this is a reward that I never expected and hope I'm worthy of."

Who else has been overlooked? He is the man who has touched the lives of three generations of music fans with his genius, the man who was one quarter of the greatest band ever to walk the Earth? And, last but not least, the man who provided the voice for Thomas the Tank Engine. And if dodgy singles are the criteria for a knighthood? Well, then he has certainly had a few of those in his solo career. That man is, of course, Ringo Starr, who will once again not arise as “Sir Ringo.”


Don't arise, Sir Ringo!

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/01/arise-sir-ringo.html

So there you have the 2011 “Birthday Honours List” - a lot of Establishment flotsam with some celeb froth on top and a leavening of token Proles. Now I’m not against Civilian Honours but this Bastard Child of Empire is well past its sell by date in terms of titles, relevance and honesty and badly needs an overhaul – taking the awards for flunkeys (the Royal Victoria awards which are for “personal service” to the Sovereign) and for time serving Police, Civil servants and Military out of it would be a good start. A second good start would be to make the whole process transparent and above board, they should be given in OUR name and not the Queen’s, Gawd Bless ya M’aam!


Arise, Sir Flunkey!

Lastly but not leastly let us abandon the whole Empire Brand. It is surely not relevant now that it is a collection of Rocks and Tax Havens maintained for Great Tory Supporting British Patriots to avoid contributing to the Common Weal. On a personal level it would spare those who have achieved Membership of the British Empire the embarrassment of realising that there is no longer an MBE / CBE/ OBE Clubhouse and they have to buy their celebratory drinks in Wetherspoons instead!

For the full Birthday Honours list see (if you must!);

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/birthday-honours--full-list-2295957.html

Trooping the Colour

William and Catherine Royal Wedding: The Royal Family Red Carpet!

La Reina y everybody else...and THAT FABULOUS Hat Princess Beatrice wore!!!

Continuing with my "Royal Wedding Red Carpet Report", I couldn't leave out the Royal Family of course...Let's begin with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I expected her to be in a soft pastel but no, kids, she went ALL OUT COLOR, wearing a primrose wool crepe coat and dress from Royal Dresser Angela Kelly. Kelly has been The Queen's personal designer/stylist/wardrobe coordinator for about 17 years and in 2006 was recognized with the honor of becoming a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.

Primrose Queen: Queen Elizabeth II

The color was outstanding in that it made her presence known. And surely, NO ONE could miss her--even the kids watching from the farthest of bleachers! She has stated that she wears bright colors to these events with large audiences, so that everyone can spot her. She accessorized it with the stunning Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot brooch (how appropriate!) and also wore a matching hat, her ever-present pearls and of course, her handbag.

The Fashion Girls Have Arrived: Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice of York

The Younger Royals were well represented in terms of fashion with Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York, daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. Both girls have become quite the Fashionistas and were expected to be "giving" fashion with a Capital "F". Eugenie (the younger of the two, on the left) wore a Vivienne Westwood fitted multi-colored jacket and poufy silk taffeta skirt and Jimmy Choo shoes. Beatrice, on the right, surprised a lot of fashion insiders by not wearing a British brand and in fact, choosing to wear...

Valentino Haute Couture Spring 2011. How a 23 year old university student can afford to buy Couture (that hand-made custom ordered coat-dress probably costs in the vicinity of $25,000. Not kidding) is questioned but then again, she is a Princess so I'm sure she's got a "Princess Checking Account". Incidentally, Beatrice is FIFTH in line of succession for the Royal Throne of SIXTEEN independent states: Hello!

Chapeau Divas: Princess Eugenie and Beatrice of York, in Philip Treacy

I thought Beatrice's Valentino Haute Couture coat-dress was elegant, timeless and appropriate for a Royal Wedding. And--more importantly--made a perfect canvas for THAT over-the-top Philip Treacy hat! I LOVED it! I'm sure there are "haters" who just "didn't get it" but huney, you've got me in your corner darling! Kudos to Philip Treacy and Kudos to her for having the inner-drag Queen Fabulousness, to wear it! Oh yeah, I liked Princess Eugenie's chapeau as well...

Their father, Prince Andrew, Duke of York looked great in uniform...

As well as their Uncle--and Father of the Groom--HRH Charles Prince of Wales and heir apparent.

Who Looked Best? Carole Middleton or HRH, the Duchess of Cornwall

Mother of the Bride, Carole Middleton was quietly elegant (maybe too quiet for my taste) in a pearly blue wool crepe coat and silk shantung day dress by Catherine Walker, a favorite designer of the late Princess Diana. The coat featured matching satin piping and braiding at the waist and sleeve hems. Her hat was created by milliner Jane Corbett. It was the perfect "Mother of The Bride", simple, serene. But part of me wanted just "a little more". Next to her, is HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who looked slightly more fabulous in a champagne-colored silk box-pleated coat and duck egg blue-and-champagne silk dress designed by Anna Valentine. Her hat was by Philip Treacy.

Princely Chic: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex had her ensemble custom made by British Designer Bruce Oldfield, and supposedly paid full price for it (estimated at approximately 6,000 pounds according to some sources), according to the UK tabloids--and good for her! (and Oldfield--no freebies darling!!). LOVED the sleeve embroidered detail and the horizontal seaming in the jacket at the torso-bust.

And last but not least, we have Princess Anne, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and aunt to the groom, Prince William. Bless her heart--she wore a flower-printed lilac and lime green coat with large cuffs and a purple silk taffeta dress underneath. It was kinda too EIGHTIES/early NINETIES for my taste (those fold-up cuffs! Hello!). The hat and swooped-up hairstyle, dated--as well as aged-- her. On a positive note: Her figure under all that looks GREAT!

Royal Wedding Gowns: A Look Back Through The Years!

Wedding Couture

In honor of Friday's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine "Kate" Middleton, I have decided to do a posting on all the wonderful Royal Weddings of the past and, of course, what they wore! I hope you enjoy seeing all the wonderful ensembles as much as I did...plus I included a little Couture Dish!

Grace of Monaco: Helen Rose

Prince Rainer and Grace of Monaco--in a Helen Rose (an MGM Costume Designer) gown. Edith Head--Hollywood Costume Designer for the A-List of the time (and of Kelly) was reportedly saddened to not have been picked, for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. COUTURE DISH: The gown was worked on by six seamstress at MGM and 30 million people around the world watched it. The gown has remained THE SYMBOL--and ruler-- of what a "Royal Wedding Gown" should be. Elegant, timeless, classic, serene, and above all, royal. Guests of the wedding included actresses Gloria Swanson and Eva Gardner, the Agha Khan, and many others.

Princess Caroline: Christian Dior Haute Couture by Marc Bohan

Their eldest daughter, Princess Caroline wore Christian Dior Haute Couture by then House Designer, Marc Bohan, when she married Commoner--and French Playboy--Philipe Junot, in 1978. The gown featured a high neck, scalloped edge embroidered gown, bishop sleeves and blouson top. I especially remember (I was VERY YOUNG!) how modern she looked with ringlets of flowers--a la Princess Leia--in her hair--as opposed to wearing a tiara or crown.

Queen Elizabeth: Norman Hartnell

Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth of York) and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh (then Prince of Greece and Denmark--he's actually German and Danish but born in Greece). Her wedding gown was designed by British designer Norman Hartnell. COUTURE DISH: The Queen Mother had specifically asked that Hartnell should use an unusually rich, lustrous stiff satin which was made at Lullington Castle. The satin was ideal for the train, but Hartnell thought that the dress required a more supple material of a similar tone. He ordered the similar fabric from the Scottish firm of Winterthur. Difficulties arose when rivals put about the rumor that the Scottish satin was made from "enemy silk worms", either from Italy or possibly Japan. A telephone call to the town where Winterthur was based, settled the scandal. Mr. Hartnell was assured the silk worms were from Nationalist China and were not "enemy silk worms". Good to know...

Princess Diana: Elizabeth Emanuel

Continuing with the Brits: Prince Charles and Diana in 1981: Her gown was designed by British designer Elizabeth Emanuel is iconic, of course, especially for its infamous 25 foot (wrinkled) silk taffeta train. COUTURE DISH: The entire gown--including the train and veil--were comprised of (wait for it), 275 total yards. The gown epitomized the excess that were to be the 80's.

Princess Anne: Maureen Baker

Another gown I loved was the one Princess Anne (only daughter of Queen Elizabeth) wore when she wed then-Lieutenant Mark Phillips (he was soooo handsome!!) in 1973. The gown was inspired from the Medieval and Tudor styles. It was very "Lady Macbeth Gets Married".

The gown--designed by Maureen Baker, head designer for Susan Small--featured Trumpet sleeves that hid inner Bishop Sleeves (FIERCE!), as you can see above. COUTURE DISH: Fifteen women worked on the dress and each worked on a different section, and they didn't know what the final outcome would look like--this was done for fear that the design would be "leaked" to the press by one of these girls.

Wallis Simpson: Mainbocher

Of course, when speaking of Wedding Couture, we can't leave out the Mainbocher gown worn by Wallis Simpson when she married Edward, Duke of Windsor (also Prince Edward, King Edward XIII of course) in 1937. This pale blue gown and hat--have gone down in history as the epitome of understated chic. The groom wore a Morning Suit, of course. There were only sixteen guests, not one a member of the royal family.

Princess Margaret: Norman Hartnell

Then , there was the Fashionista and "Party Girl" Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Queen Elizabeth's sister) and her wedding to Anthony Armstrong-Jones. Her gown was designed and created by the house of Norman Hartnell--same designer who created her sister's wedding gown.This was also the first royal wedding ever televised, and was watched by over 300 million viewers worldwide!Empress/Shahbanu Soraya of Iran: Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent

I also absolutely LOVE the wedding gown worn by Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari (of German-Persian descent) , who would become Empress and Shahbanu Soraya of Iran when she married the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (his second marriage) in 1951. She wore a a custom gown designed by Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Christian Dior.

COUTURE DISH: The gown was a silver lame gown studded with pearls and marabou stork feathers (!). To finish the gown, there was a cropped shawl-collar jacket AND a full-length white mink cape which she removed for "let-me-sit-down-and-breathe" photos. Poor Soraya (who was rumored to always have been the Shah's love of his life) soon discovered she could not give him a male heir (she was infertile) and therefore, divorced seven years after their wedding, but was left with a nice you-can-live-forever-in-style bank account.

Queen Sofia of Spain: Jean Dessès

Next of note was Queen Sofia's (then Princess Sophia of Greece) Wedding Gown--designed by Egyptian-born of Greek descent fashion designer Jean Dessès--when she married the future King of Spain Juan Carlos in Athens Greece to much fanfare.

Marie Chantal of Greece: Valentino Haute Couture

Speaking of Greeks, here's Crown Prince Pavlos and his bride, Marie Chantal Miller. Marie Chantal is of US-Ecuadorian ancestry and Pavlos, the son of the exiled King of the Hellenes (Greece), Constantine II, is well, of Danish-German (and not so much Greek) descent. Constantine II is Queen Sofia's (see previous wedding gown pic) brother--yes, keep up!! By the way, the Bride's gown was from Valentino Haute Couture. Don't mess with them darlings!

Maria y Carmen Martinez-Bordiu: Cristobal Balenciaga

Now onto another fabulous Royal Wedding Gown of note. This gown is from Maria y Carmen Martinez-Bordiu y Franco when she wed Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cadiz and Grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1972. General Franco made him Duke of Anjou and making him a Royal Highness, thereby making her a Princess: Can you say "At-a Girl!" in Spanish?? Momma didn't raise a fool!
COUTURE DISH: Her gown was designed by Cristobal Balenciaga. The Spanish Couturier ended his business in 1968 but came out of "retirement" to design her gown. It featured 14 meters of Abraham silk, 20 silk thread spools, 10,000 pearls, and over 5,000 sequins. It also had the Bourbon "Fleur-de-lis" embroidered into the front of this one-of-a-kind Haute Couture hand-made gown.

The future Queen Noor of Jordan's wedding dress is notable for it's elegant simplicity. It was a blouson gown, with no crinoline, no petticoat, no tulle. This is how you do "restrained" and unfussy, but still beautiful.

Queen Rania of Jordan: Bruce Oldfield

At the opposite end, was Queen Rania of Jordan's wedding gown to King Abdullah II. Her gown was designed by British designer Bruce Oldfield (a name that has been thrown around as a possible candidate for Catherine Middleton's wedding dress designer) and not by a Middle Eastern designer, which was odd.

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands: Valentino Haute Couture

Moving on to the New Generation of Royals--and their Wedding COUTURE: A gorgeous Valentino Haute Couture creation can be seen on Princes Maxima of the Netherlands when she wed Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. Maxima is from Argentina darlings, in case you weren't aware. South American girl done did good, as they say...The Netherlands will have an South American-born Queen sometime in the future.

Princess Mette-Marit of Norway: Ove Harder Finseth

Staying in Scandinavia: There was the wedding gown of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. Ove Harder Finseth was the designer. I loved this gown for its elegant simplicity. The shape was perfect for Mette-Marit's lean figure and again, as one of the "Next Generation Royals", I love that she chose to do without the Disneyland Princess Crinoline-and-Petticoat Ball Gown "Princes Diana" silhouette. Norwegians know how to give you "Directional Modern Brides" for sure!

Princess Letizia of Spain: Manuel Pertegaz

I also LOVED Princess Letizia of Spain's wedding gown when she married Crown Prince Felipe in 2004. It was designed by 93-year old (yes, 93!!) Spanish Designer Manuel Pertegaz. I'm sure his "staff" had a lot to do with this and he probably sat there and said "Si!" and "No!". Letizia’s beige Valencia silk wedding dress was graceful and Medieval in its silhouette. It featured long sleeves, a decorative stand-away collar, veil and skirt embroidered with flower-de-luce and ears of wheat. Her wedding dress was 4.6 meters long!!

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden: Par Engsheden

And last but not least in my Royal Wedding Couture Nick Verreos Hall of Fame, I have to include the gorgeous gown worn by Victoria Crown Princess of Sweden. The silk fit-and-flare gown was designed by Swedish designer Par Engsheden. Simple. Elegant. Sublime. The stunning crown and lace veil finish it off. THAT is a future Queen ladies and gentlemen.

Now....Which one was your FAVORITE Royal Wedding Gown???

New Year Dishonour

Each year in the UK the tedium of half empty newsrooms is relived by the tiresome ritual of the “New Year’s Honours List.” Heading it up are a list of celebs - Actors, public figures, community representatives and so forth who have received an “Honour from her Majesty the Queen” for some outstanding “service” or other. As always this year's list includes the great, the good, the deserving and the frankly baffling. The ”Honours” list is always something of a dog's dinner, a mixture of Buggin's turn and the cheapest populism, and you don’t even see the lists of people who have quietly declined honours which might help you make sense of it all.

Well if only Her Maj actually drew up the list for what you have behind the showbiz froth and the pre-packaged spin at the top of this highly patronising and selective Imperial Awards system from the days of the King / Queen Emperors which in reality is drawn up by a secretive and opaque committee of Whitehall timeservers based on “Buggins Turn” nominations from “approved organisations.” So most of it is a roll call of time servers, Nabobs, Apparatchiks, Panjandrums and assorted flunkeys who are being “honoured” for actually just doing their jobs. Indeed many of them have been paid for every day they have worked and no doubt for many days they haven’t!

Personally I crack up just reading the bumptious detail of the New Year's Honours list! For instance reporter Sandy Gall gets an OBE for "Services to the People of Afghanistan"! Do they know about his services? Did the People of Afghanistan even notice? Other luminaries on the list include Mrs Carolyn Tracy Edwards. Grade C1, Ministry of Defence. (Chorleywood, Hertfordshire) - Hold me back! Mrs Elizabeth Barton. Grade B1, Ministry of Defence. (London, SW9) We can only imagine the great service she has given! How about David Kelly, Chief Constable, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Now there is a man sacrificing himself in the Sun for the Empire, a Chief Constable (with the salary and all the perks) for two British Army bases with a population of 15,000 people and a base prison on Cyprus! Indeed this man is so self sacrificing in the cause of Empire that he is double jobbing, already getting a full pension from his previous UK post before moving into his villa on Cyprus.


No Brucie Bonus? Bad Game! Bad Game!

But look at who has been left out of these “New Year Honours.” Commiserations once again to Bruce Forysyth, our much loved veteran TV entertainer, who has not been rewarded with a knighthood, despite a campaign launched earlier this year. It’s ruffled Piers’ Morgan’s feathers who said on Twitter: “Utterly ridiculous that Bruce Forsyth still hasn’t been knighted. What more must he do than be a multi-talented star for SEVEN decades?” Well maybe at 84 Bruce is expecting too much too soon?


Don't arise Sir Ringo?

Who else has been overlooked? He is the man who has touched the lives of three generations of music fans with his genius, the man who was one quarter of the greatest band ever to walk the Earth? And, last but not least, the man who provided the voice for Thomas The Tank Engine. And if dodgy singles are the criteria for a knighthood? Well, then he has certainly had a few of those in his solo career. That man is, of course, Ringo Starr, who will not arise as “Sir Ringo.”

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/01/arise-sir-ringo.html

But the thresholds for these knighthoods are high which is why they were awarded to “Sir Gas Bill” and the man who has presided over British Airways most disastrous period. Roger Carr, the tycoon who saw through the sale of the 200-year-old British company Cadbury to the US multinational Kraft in February, has been knighted for services to industry in the New Year Honours list. Sir Roger was praised by the City for getting a good deal for shareholders when the Cadbury sale went through in February. Since then Kraft has announced that it is moving the firm's headquarters to Switzerland to avoid UK tax, at a probable cost of thousands of UK jobs.


Arise Sir Gas Bill and destroyer of British Jobs! Roger Carr

The award is doubly controversial because Sir Roger also chairs Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, which recently announced a 7 per cent price hike. Soon after that announcement, Centrica raised its full year profit forecast to more than £2.2bn. The regulator, Ofgem, is holding an inquiry into whether major energy companies are "lining their pockets".

The other flying Knight Martin Broughton as chairman of British Airways has been at the centre of a bitter dispute with the airline's cabin crew, the disastrous opening of Terminal 5 and the wholesale abandoning of customers during the volcanic ash incident during the summer, not to mention various prosecutions for flouting Competition Law. This is probably why he is being knighted for “Services to Aviation” and not to Customer Services. It does beg the question, what does the Chairman of British Airways have to do not to get a knighthood?

Their appearance on the New Year Honours list runs counter to the Downing Street spin that the 2011 list principally recognises those who have contributed to David Cameron's idea of the Big Society. Fewer than three-quarters of the 997 people on the New Year’s list are said to be "local heroes who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities". Officials conceded that today's list contains the same proportion of local philanthropists as ever.



The list includes Kathleen White, who has worked at a Post Office in Claverley in the Black Country for 68 years and is awarded an MBE and there is the usual quota of School Dinner Ladies and Lollipop ladies. Some years ago the then Prime Minister, John Major, decided that the process should be made more open and the class bias in the honours list should be tackled. Previously upper class personages and Government flunkeys received an MBE (Member of the British Empire) but those who were of “insufficient station” (i.e. Working Class) received a BEM (British Empire Medal) – essentially the same award for the lower classes. However despite these stated good intentions the BEM is still retained on honours given to Caribbean and British Overseas Territories (What we used to call Colonies). Obviously Carlton of the FO decided equality was a step too far for the tinted folk? Indeed when John Major’s “classless” list was introduced a paper seller who had taken over a family pitch near my office and sold the Evening Standard for 35 years received an MBE for “services to Newspapers.” A fine person who inherited her family pitch and was always chatty to customers I’m sure but what did she do to deserve an MBE? A silly question as most of her customers were Home Office Civil Servants!

Among the OBEs are guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson, once of Fairport Convention but also a writer of lyrics for Robert Plant and Elvis Costello; veteran lyricist Herbert Kretzmer, whose career encompasses newspaper, television and theatre criticism, songs for That Was the Week That Was, and the lyrics for the long-running musical version of Les Misérables; and Manchester-born actor Burt Kwouk, the long-suffering manservant Cato in the Pink Panther movies, who is honoured for helping to pave the way for other actors from the Chinese community.


Arise Sir Flunkey!

The former Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox receives an OBE, not for her musicianship, but for her services to Oxfam and Aids charities in Africa. She said: "As somewhat of a renegade, it either means I've done something terribly right – or they've done something terribly wrong.”

So there you have the 2011 “New Years Honours List” – a lot of Establishment flotsam with some celeb froth on top and a leavening of token Proles. Now I’m not against Civilian Honours but this Bastard Child of Empire is well past its sell by date in terms of titles, relevance and honesty and badly needs an overhaul – taking the awards for flunkeys (the Royal Victoria awards which are for “personal service” to the Sovereign) and for time serving Police, Civil servants and Military out of it would be a good start. A second good start would be to make the whole process transparent and above board, they should be given in OUR name and not the Queen’s, Gawd Bless ya M’aam! And lastly but not leastly let us abandon the whole Empire Brand. It is surely not relevant now that it is a collection of Rocks and Tax Havens maintained for Great Tory Supporting British Patriots to avoid contributing to the Common Weal. On a personal level it would spare those who have achieved Membership of the British Empire the embarrassment of realising that there is no longer an MBE / CBE/ OBE Clubhouse and they have to buy their celebratory drinks in Wetherspoons instead!

For the full 2011 list see;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/honours-list/8231975/New-Year-Honours-List-2011-in-full.html


Jenson Button - For Services to Tax Exile