We've been here several times in the last few year, I'm not embarassed to be English or British, but am frequently extremely embarassed by the actions of our representitives.
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[Politics] Should Lewis Hamilton be knighted?
- Thread starter Icy Gull
- Start date
We've been here several times in the last few year, I'm not embarassed to be English or British, but am frequently extremely embarassed by the actions of our representitives.
I actually did a little whoop of delight when R5 mentioned that he's been nominated.
I expect the haters will get their 'no' vote in early and the yesses will win in the end.
I've stopped at your post on this thread to respond because it stood out. I don't hate Lewis Hamilton, nor do I disagree with the honours system BUT it should be for those that have done good deeds. Not for those that happen to have been good at their job. Otherwise I deserve one as I'm sure you do HWT. Throw in that Lewis happens to do a job many of us would love to do and gets paid very handsomely at that. And that isn't jealousy - good luck to the bloke. I'd rather that honours went to say the nurse currently sitting with my disabled Mum while my Dad goes to hospital for a procedure. Or indeed the nurses and doctors carrying out that procedure on my Dad. Successful sports people shouldn't get honours for being successful at sport - it should be for the good that they do - Rashford is a very good example of a sportsman that DOES deserve an honour.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
- Thread starter
- #103
When you consistently beat your top class team mates (lapped last weekend) in the same car and run a double world champion to within a point in your rookie season it could mean that maybe you are the best.
Your comments are akin to me calling cricket school girl’s rounders for men
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
- Thread starter
- #104
Whereas Hamilton has to live with being labelled a trouble maker by many (normally white) people because he is so vocal in his support of black lives matter. Nope I don’t get your reasoning.
Hamilton’s profile is worldwide too, so reaches a much bigger audience in his, to me, very valid opinions. He is the only top class black driver ever, which has to be an inspiration to black people the world over. Is that a bad or inconsequential thing, and less deserving than Rashford?
I'm not sure why you've brought race ( pardon the pun ) into this ? If Hamilton has done loads of charity stuff or campaigned for the disadvantaged etc etc then fine - give him an honour ( regardless of race ). He shouldn't get one for being a successful racing driver.
Silverhatch
Well-known member
But Hamilton has used his pinnacle position, as a black man, to be outspoken about his own industry and its lack of diversity both in gender and race terms. And, most importantly, he is a completely atypical of the industry he dominates in that (a) he’s black and (b) he comes from a working class background. Rashford does deserve the highest recognition too, but his industry is a panoply of diversity compared to F1.
Beckham lost us the world cup. Four months later he scores a wonder goal and all is forgiven.
Hamilton has been black all his life.
Yes, it is racism.
blue-shifted
Banned
My thoughts
Hamilton completely deserving of a knighthood and SPOTY
No need at all to wait until he retires for any honours
I'm not 100% comfortable with him or any other wealthy Brit, setting up in Monaco for tax reasons. Don't really care if he is still in top 5000 UK taxpayers, he should be paying back fully into the system which allowed him to flourish. That said his achievements outweigh this gripe.
Hamilton completely deserving of a knighthood and SPOTY
No need at all to wait until he retires for any honours
I'm not 100% comfortable with him or any other wealthy Brit, setting up in Monaco for tax reasons. Don't really care if he is still in top 5000 UK taxpayers, he should be paying back fully into the system which allowed him to flourish. That said his achievements outweigh this gripe.
Weststander
Well-known member
He lives overseas for most of the year.
Should every ex-pat pay full UK taxes for life, or every Brit who spends the majority of the year in an overseas home? Many of whom spend much of the year back in the UK. No tax system is based on that.
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Dave the OAP
Well-known member
Of course he should. His achievements in the sport are phenomenal and his way of bringing the BLM movement into a predominantly elitist sport( as they are the only ones who can afford it) is commendable.
BTW this nonsense about paying UK taxes debunked earlier in the thread is really under the microscope of the tax authorities in the US at the moment. The cruise industry for example...Carnival group which has such British lines as Princess and Cunard ( queen Victoria, Elizabeth etc) is based off shore in a tax haven, I think it’s Bermuda, and made $3billion turnover last year before this catastrophe happened. Their argument, which is the multinational company argument is that they employ UK workers, and dock at Uk ports, therefore they pay uk landing fees and uk employers tax...but of course no tax on profits, which it is difficult to quantify where they make them. Where you have multinational companies, you will always get this.
I worked for a UK company that bought another set of companies based in Manila. Who had offshoots in the British Virgin Islands. Whilst for year they had paid lots of UK Corporation tax, that disappeared as suddenly there was a whole heap of charges moved by way of management changes around the world and the head office was moved to Dubai. So we paid employees NIC and rates on our buildings etc, nothing went to the British exchequer in corporation tax as suddenly the UK company made heaps of losses after being a hugely profitable company....they eventually closed the Uk and moved production to Poland.
BTW this nonsense about paying UK taxes debunked earlier in the thread is really under the microscope of the tax authorities in the US at the moment. The cruise industry for example...Carnival group which has such British lines as Princess and Cunard ( queen Victoria, Elizabeth etc) is based off shore in a tax haven, I think it’s Bermuda, and made $3billion turnover last year before this catastrophe happened. Their argument, which is the multinational company argument is that they employ UK workers, and dock at Uk ports, therefore they pay uk landing fees and uk employers tax...but of course no tax on profits, which it is difficult to quantify where they make them. Where you have multinational companies, you will always get this.
I worked for a UK company that bought another set of companies based in Manila. Who had offshoots in the British Virgin Islands. Whilst for year they had paid lots of UK Corporation tax, that disappeared as suddenly there was a whole heap of charges moved by way of management changes around the world and the head office was moved to Dubai. So we paid employees NIC and rates on our buildings etc, nothing went to the British exchequer in corporation tax as suddenly the UK company made heaps of losses after being a hugely profitable company....they eventually closed the Uk and moved production to Poland.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
A lot of Sirs are going to have to give their titles back under your criteria.
bobbysmith01
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2015
- 806
No, not that I know anything about F1, as only went once at Silverstone, as a hospitality guest and was bored rigid. I personally think that if you have a sporting skill and use it well, then you should not be knighted. I am for sports or anyone else in the entertainment world getting gongs if you go
Above your skills and make a difference to the country, like Rashford and many others. How has Roger Daltrey not been given a Knighthood for his hard work in the Teenage Cancer Trust where he has raised millions for a major cause. I am not sure Hamilton has done anything major outside his undoubted skills, I maybe wrong.
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Above your skills and make a difference to the country, like Rashford and many others. How has Roger Daltrey not been given a Knighthood for his hard work in the Teenage Cancer Trust where he has raised millions for a major cause. I am not sure Hamilton has done anything major outside his undoubted skills, I maybe wrong.
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I don't have a strong opinion on him. But he's hardly from the ghetto. Suburban Stevenage actually, and attended a private 6th form. The issue many black people have with him is this BLM support has been vocalised quite late. Bandwagon-jumping might be a tad harsh, but the accusation is there.
You might like to do his job and get paid handsomely for it but could you? I don't know you but I'd hazard a guess that you're not the stand out person in , the world at the job you do! That's not me trying to be rude but merely stating a fact. The same as we would all like to be earning a shitload of money kicking a ball around but the point is none of here (unless there are a few players that have sneaked on NSC) are anywhere near good enough.
With regard to the honours system, I understand your comments but I wonder whether your view is tainted (quite rightly in my view) by the clear cash for honours that both parties seem to endorse. Would you view be different is it was just there for high achievers and those that, in their every day life, have gone the extra mile for others. That latter group would include the likes of Rashford or maybe the nurses that have gone above and beyond during the pandemic and the former would be for those at the top of their profession, for example the England world cup winning team, Lewis Hamilton, Chris Hoy.
Cpt. Spavil
Well-known member
- Mar 9, 2008
- 1,071
Marcus Rashford is further ahead of him in the knighthood honours IMO
What have the Romans ever done for us?
“Lewis Hamilton: Foundation and Charity
Lewis Hamilton has pledged his support to UNICEF, Education Africa, Save the Children, and a few others. He is also a vegan by choice and doesn’t shy away from proclaiming the need for veganism to save animals and our planet Earth from global warming. He was named by PETA, the 2018 Personality of the Year for his efforts to save animals.
In January 2020, Hamilton pledged $500,000 as an aid for animals affected by bushfires in Australia
He also has a charity of his own.”
https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/charity/lewis-hamilton-foundation
https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/lewis-hamilton
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...atter-protest-human-rights-issue-not-politics
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...y-charity-latest-news-instagram-a9277711.html
https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/hamilton-animals/amp/
Weststander
Well-known member
Hamilton lived in a poor part of Stevenage, his Dad working three jobs to pay for LH to compete in the rich boys sport of Karting for seven years until LH was 13. Then McLaren spotted his talent and put him on their young driver programme.
Here’s the childhood home. You can be poor in Stevenage or Brighton too.
Exactly. There are some lazy comments on this thread (at least I hope they're motivated by laziness)!!