What is valuable about a British Knighthood or Peerage

[YankeyMCC]

Is Peerage the correct term?

I haven't read much more than the headlines about this scandal but there apparently a motive to bribe government officials to get these things? Are these titles worth something other than bragging rights? Or perhaps they're more than titles and come with income or something?

I mean I know what a Knight is - at least I thought so, and I have an idea of what it means to be a Peer of the realm - but I thought these were just titles and if they have any value like accompanying land etc...that would have had to come from family inheritance and that if you were made a Peer or Knight these days it didn't come with any sort of land grant or special spot in government.

[bif]

1. They don't mean squat

I believe, if you were knighted, you served in the House of Lords for life. But they did away with that several years ago. So it's just an honorary title these days.

[YankeyMCC]

2. So I don't get the motive to bribe government officials to get them

or take a bribe and risk getting caught. Weird.

[bif]

3. Hey, when you figure the Brits out, will you send me an email?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. Well, it's a bit like spinner chrome wheels on the car ...

It costs a lot, it doesn't serve any purpose, but it's a shiny thing.

"Sir Bozo", it has a ring to it, yes?

Now help me with my armor, ye vassals, for I am about to post on General Discussions.

[AllegroRondo]

4. a Peer gets to vote in the House of Lords.

which, while not as powerful as the House of Commons, still has some part of the politics of the country.

[TheBaldyMan]

5. Peerages allow you to sit in the British equivalent of the Senate

A life peer is a lifetime appointment to the upper house of Parliament, no matter what you do after you get in, you are part of the UK legislature. A hereditary peerage means your father was a member of the peerage and his father before him. Go back far enough you find one of their ancestors screwed the King then he gave his bastard son a Dukedom.

This heinous state of affairs is better than the bad old days when the House of Lords was 100% hereditary!

Now the hereditary peers elect a certain number from the hundreds of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords.



Knighthoods are honorary titles that are really popular with British snobs. They get you into posh restauraunts and look good on your stationary.

[YankeyMCC]

7. Ah Well getting into Posh Restaurants

now I get it. lol

[T_i_B]

8. Peers sit in the House of Lords

Which is the upper chamber of the houses of Parliament.

As for Knights, OBE's, MBE's and the like, they are honours given for services rendered which are dished out by the British government.

The current problem is that it looks like Blair's government may have been giving out honours in return for loans to the Labour party. This smacks of selling peerages, which is illegal, hence the current police investigations into Tony Blair, Lord Levy and co. And what's worse is that it also appear that the other parties have been up to similar tricks themselves.