Did you scan the Queen’s birthday honours list, checking enviously for names you know? Would you – like Benjamin Zephaniah (“I get angry when I hear the word empire”) or Francis Bacon (“It’s so ageing”) – spurn an honour if it were offered?
Whatever you feel about the system, there is no doubt that an honour confers personal prestige and can help in advocacy and fundraising for your museum.
An ancient means of rewarding loyalty to the Crown, the honours system has evolved but slowly; around a quarter of honours still go to civil servants.
Successive reviews in recent years have resulted in greater transparency, accountability and independence from government, yet the workings of the system remain a mystery to many. A recent Cabinet Office survey found that only a minority feel the system is open and fair.
It’s a feeling supported by evidence. In the last New Year honours list only 43% of honours went to women, for example, falling to 28% for higher honours, CBE and above.
The Arts Committee – the relevant one for museums – showed an even greater imbalance, with only 37% of nominations and 33% of honours going to women, despite their predominance in the sector.
Black and minority ethnic candidates are also less likely to be nominated, particularly for higher honours. And there are geographical imbalances: those working in south east England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are more likely to be nominated than people elsewhere.
Proximity to government seems to be a key factor. Put bluntly, if you are the director of a national museum whose chair of trustees understands the system, you probably stand a better chance of being nominated than if you run an outstanding local authority museum in Lincolnshire.
The good news is that we can all help improve matters. Any citizen can nominate someone for an honour, and it’s worth considering which colleagues in the sector deserve one. The Arts Committee recently held a workshop to seek views on how to encourage a more representative set of nominations.
Despite the widely held perception that certain high status jobs automatically confer a “retirement gong”, honours should not, the committee feels, be awarded simply for doing the day job. Rather, the system should recognise exceptional service, innovators and role models. We all, surely, know people who fit this description.
There’s no need to wait until your nominee is about to step down. So, make sure the next list includes a few names you know.
Sally MacDonald is the director of museums and public engagement at University College London.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the honours process, contact either: pat.le-bruin@culture.gsi.gov.uk or stephanie.legg@culture.gsi.gov.uk
For more on the honours system see www.direct.gov.uk/honours
Whatever you feel about the system, there is no doubt that an honour confers personal prestige and can help in advocacy and fundraising for your museum.
An ancient means of rewarding loyalty to the Crown, the honours system has evolved but slowly; around a quarter of honours still go to civil servants.
Successive reviews in recent years have resulted in greater transparency, accountability and independence from government, yet the workings of the system remain a mystery to many. A recent Cabinet Office survey found that only a minority feel the system is open and fair.
It’s a feeling supported by evidence. In the last New Year honours list only 43% of honours went to women, for example, falling to 28% for higher honours, CBE and above.
The Arts Committee – the relevant one for museums – showed an even greater imbalance, with only 37% of nominations and 33% of honours going to women, despite their predominance in the sector.
Black and minority ethnic candidates are also less likely to be nominated, particularly for higher honours. And there are geographical imbalances: those working in south east England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are more likely to be nominated than people elsewhere.
Proximity to government seems to be a key factor. Put bluntly, if you are the director of a national museum whose chair of trustees understands the system, you probably stand a better chance of being nominated than if you run an outstanding local authority museum in Lincolnshire.
The good news is that we can all help improve matters. Any citizen can nominate someone for an honour, and it’s worth considering which colleagues in the sector deserve one. The Arts Committee recently held a workshop to seek views on how to encourage a more representative set of nominations.
Despite the widely held perception that certain high status jobs automatically confer a “retirement gong”, honours should not, the committee feels, be awarded simply for doing the day job. Rather, the system should recognise exceptional service, innovators and role models. We all, surely, know people who fit this description.
There’s no need to wait until your nominee is about to step down. So, make sure the next list includes a few names you know.
Sally MacDonald is the director of museums and public engagement at University College London.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the honours process, contact either: pat.le-bruin@culture.gsi.gov.uk or stephanie.legg@culture.gsi.gov.uk
For more on the honours system see www.direct.gov.uk/honours
