The republican campaign group Republic has welcomed the Public Administration Select Committee's call for reform of the honours system - including an end to awards for "doing the day job" - but has strongly rejected its recommendation that the monarch should play a greater role.
As well as recommending greater accountability and transparency, the Committee's report into the honours system suggests that Lords Leiutenant - the Queen’s representatives in the counties - should be given the opportunity to comment on all nominations, thus "strengthening the link to the monarch".
Republic's chief executive, who gave evidence to the Committee's inquiry and is quoted throughout the report, commented:
"We welcome the Committee's call for greater accountability throughout the honours system, and the recognition that awards should be reserved for those who have made an exceptional contribution to their communities. I hope we'll see an end to people getting awards simply for doing their jobs - or, even worse, for making large donations to political parties."
"However, the suggestion that the Queen should be more involved in the process is bizarre and would take the honours system backwards. As I told the Committee in May, we are supposed to be a democratic society - our sovereignty ought to lie with the people, not the Crown or Parliament. It is the British people who should be rewarding and recognising their fellow citizens, and the monarch should not have a place in this process at all."
As well as recommending greater accountability and transparency, the Committee's report into the honours system suggests that Lords Leiutenant - the Queen’s representatives in the counties - should be given the opportunity to comment on all nominations, thus "strengthening the link to the monarch".
Republic's chief executive, who gave evidence to the Committee's inquiry and is quoted throughout the report, commented:
"We welcome the Committee's call for greater accountability throughout the honours system, and the recognition that awards should be reserved for those who have made an exceptional contribution to their communities. I hope we'll see an end to people getting awards simply for doing their jobs - or, even worse, for making large donations to political parties."
"However, the suggestion that the Queen should be more involved in the process is bizarre and would take the honours system backwards. As I told the Committee in May, we are supposed to be a democratic society - our sovereignty ought to lie with the people, not the Crown or Parliament. It is the British people who should be rewarding and recognising their fellow citizens, and the monarch should not have a place in this process at all."
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