Erm, his cheque went to the Royal Marsden. Didn't make a song and dance about it, just did it.



There is a place for an honours system in a modern society but handing out gongs for winning a bike race or a tennis tournament isn't the way forward.



Mind in saying that, sports personality of the year is pretty much sewn up.

I am also of the opinion that anyone who isn't medically qualified, is a prick if he insists on using the title Dr.



And don't get me started on those who have been awarded honorary doctorates

Many years back I was waiting for a bus when bloke next to me announced totally out of the blue, as an opening line to the conversation that he was "A Sir", I managed to show a awesome amount of disinterest in that revelation and he promptly shut up.

1. It would depend entirely who it was, and my personal estimation of them. When I have met Geoff Boycott, I have always made a point of calling him Sir Geoff. I think the polite thing to do would be a bit like meeting your bird's dad -it would be "Mr. " which if he wasn't a tit should lead immediately to a "call me Fred" reply. Again, of those I've met, very few revel in or want to be called by their title, but where a nobody is speaking to a kegend then the alternatives seem, to me, inappropriate. Say you were a reporter for the Wigan Herald and you were interviewing Sir Alex Ferguson. You never met before. I would say that calling him "Alex" unbidded would be plain damn rude. Calling him "Mr. Ferguson" would be plain silly, as you are being politely deferential, by using a formal title, but you are using the wrong one. I would feel perfectly comfortable sticking with "Sir Alex".



2. He would be a first class knob.



3. No, and no.

Anyone who stick post nominals on a letter head, business card or signature block is ish. Unless they are a professional person (Dr, lawyer, accountant etc...) doing it in the course of their work. Even then, the 'done thing' is to drop everything but the highest qualification.



It's cringeworthy when your local estate agent / car salesman hands you a business card and they have put B.A. (Hons) after their name.

This. My old boss was knighted many years ago and said to us all at the time "I wonder who the first person to call me Sir Richard will be. And it better not be anyone working in this office". Similarly most of the Sirs I've met through my work have gone along with the above. Sir on first meeting then first name after that. Not had the misfortune yet to meet a Kingsley.

One of my customers is a Lady (cousin of the Queen and great,great,great granddaughter of Victoria). I get around the m'lady bollox by only talking to her husband (a commoner), who likes to be called Mark

Is that his name?

No, he's actually a dog with a hare lip

No, Murray shouldn't get a knighthood or any other honour. Yet. I don't think sports men & women should get honours until they've retired. For instance Jessica Ennis has a CBE, given primarily for her gold at the 2012 Olympics. So what happens if she wins gold again at the next one? And maybe another in a different event? The same applies to Murray, if he gets a knighthood for this Wimbledon win what does he get if he wins it again?

As for businessmen, well in some cases it might be justified but in general I'm against it as I think it often just goes to those who know the right people.

As for civil servants, it's a joke that completely devalues the honours. Civil servants shouldn't just get one simply for doing their job and because they're next in line, they should be the same as everyone else. If they make some kind of outstanding contribution then fine, but it shouldn't just be a perk of the job.



I like the honours system, I think it's a good way of the state recognising people and their contribution. I just wish it was better and more focused upon normal people rather than celebrities, current sportspeople and civil servants. I always remember seeing a programme on TV a few years ago that was primarily about the Queen but it showed her giving out some honours and had a quick piece with a farmer from Wales who was getting an MBE I think. He was an old guy who had been farming for about 45 years and came across as simply a quiet, gentle old man. He was literally in tears just talking about it. That's who should be getting these honours instead of, for instance, Rob Brydon.

Ferguson was knighted in 1999 - the year that he first won the Champions League.



Compare that with Brain Clough (two EC wins with Nottingham Forest in the late 70's, an achievement far greater than Ferguson's win with Man United), he was only given an OBE in 1992.



Bob Paisley. Won 3 EC's with Liverpool. Was given an OBE the year he retired.



Bill Shankly was given an OBE 4 months after he retired.



Given that others were given far less for far more, and the general abuse that was dished out by Ferguson after he'd been knighted, that should be a general warning not to give the highest awards out to people who are still operating in their field.

I think that was just a rumour on Twitter. Some journo or other later tweeted that he'd asked Murray and he'd said that it wasn't the case.