David Hockney and the Order of Merit
Monday, January 2, 2012 at 16:29 I originally added this as an update to yesterday's New Year message but I think it deserves greater prominence:
Congratulations to David Hockney.
Britain's greatest living artist – a member of Forest's Supporters Council – has been appointed a member of the Order of Merit by the Queen.
The order, the BBC reports, was created by King Edward VII in 1902 and is restricted to 24 members and "rare additional foreign recipients".
Curiously, an anti-smoking comment along the lines of 'Hockney is not worthy of the Order because he's a smoker' has been removed from the BBC website.
Update: The AFP news agency reports that:
British artist David Hockney has responded to his appointment to the Order of Merit with typical humour, saying he was glad his controversial campaign for smokers' rights had not worked against him.
"Hockney," AFP explains, "is a pro-tobacco campaigner who has regularly spoken out in favour of smokers' rights".
The Order of Merit, says the agency, is a "personal gift from the sovereign."
More than that, confides the Independent, it is a "hugely prestigious award bestowed by the Queen without ministerial advice" (my emphasis).
Below: David Hockney with Greg Knight MP at the Save Our Pubs & Clubs reception in June. See David Hockney lights up the House of Commons.
See also: Looking for David Hockney (video)
Reader Comments (6)
Sir Walter Raleigh, another famous smoker is known to have brought back tobacco to Queen Elizabeth I, who sat there smoking it with him. Has the current Queen indicated she might be favoured to do something similar I wonder. Would be nice if she would.
Glorious :)
David Hockney not worthy of his order because he's a smoker, "well what about Mr Ronson then"? and another individual who received a gong, of whom had been involved in criminal activity, so the comment was removed from the BBC website, good so it should be. After all smoking is totally LEGAL,anyway many congratulations to David Hockney.
I noticed to my surprise this morning that the BBC website's article on Hockney getting a gong has a photo of him with a fag hanging out of his mouth! Very un-PC for the beeb.
(But, but, think of the cheeeldren if they see it! Oh the horror! They'll be straight round to the corner shop for a packet of twenty!)
"Has the current Queen indicated she might be favoured to do something similar I wonder"
I doubt it. I think she's a dyed-in-the-wool anti - she even made Phil the Greek give up the cigs before they got married, and reputedly no-one is permitted to smoke in her presence.
Re the Queen: it is because her father died of lung cancer; the Royal Family believe that his cigarette smoking was directly responsible.
Back on topic, Hockney had cigarettes with him! Huzzah!