Is our honours system a little wonky? Euan Blair gets an MBE for “services to education” (Euan Blair: from PM’s son to £700m business and an MBE, 1 June). Doubtless he’s a fine fellow. I’ve been doing “services to education” for more years than he’s been alive (I was at Oxford with his dad).
I’ve done – if I say so myself – a few good things; I like to think that I’ve helped people make their lives better. Education, I imagined, was about service – not business.
I never sought to make shedloads of money out of it; an adequate salary has been plenty. My perfectly nice house isn’t worth £22m. I didn’t endow my children with elite networks or startup capital. My dad didn’t start an illegal war. I’ve never had an honour. QED? Unworthy thoughts? Probably; but many others have equal grounds for cynicism.
John Holford
Nottingham
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
