Somewhat belatedly I offer my sincere congratulations to Andy Murray on becoming the first British player to win the men's singles championship at Wimbledon in 77 years. Thanks to Murray, the taboo has ended and the pressure that may have hindered previous challengers such as Tim Henman, has been lifted.
However, before the dust had even settled upon the bone dry centre court, David Cameron announced that he could think of no greater nominee to receive a knighthood.
WHAT??
Murray won a handful of tennis matches against lesser opponents to reach the final and yes, he did beat the world's number one to achieve the title but at the end of the day, he won a tennis match. Yet the man who runs our country can think of no one who deserves a knighthood more.
OK Mr Prime Minister, if we must stay on a sports theme, how about making Virginia Wade a Dame? She won Wimbledon way back in 1977. Or how about Ryan Giggs who has won 22 major trophies in a career spanning 23 years, yet in 2007 only received a piddling OBE?
Not that I am an advocate of sports personalities (and I use that term quite loosely), receiving major honours for their sporting exploits. We seem to have moved into an era where this has become the norm (think Sir Chris Hoy or Sir Bradley Wiggins) when someone wins a major competition these days. I do not wish to devalue their exploits nor the amount of work they put into their achievements. Yet, by such awards, are we not devaluing the more deserving recipients? What about those who have devoted their lives to charitable or other notable works? Or those who have performed truly heroic deeds on the field of battle or in the course of their difficult and dangerous jobs?
Surely there must be more deserving people than the winner of a tennis tournament? Yet our Prime Minister is unable to think of one. Perhaps this lack of imagination explains why the country is in a bit of a mess at the moment.
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