Petition No10 for Honorary Knighthood for Leonard Cohen

[Christine]

Hiya Simon,

I just signed up too....... am awaiting my email confirmation so I can reply and get my vote counted.

I think you're at 15.......... any more Brits out there, por favor????

[tomsakic]

Wasn't this idea run 2 or 3 years ago here on Forum?

And didn't we learn that - according to the Canadian law - Canadian citizens cannot accept any foreign titules (theer was even Wikipedia link explaining this, I recall).

[simonmoorehead]

can be knighted but only with permission

[simonmoorehead]

he said he appreciated the thought and was flattered but i asked him did he want me to pull it and he said yes
so he may not be a knight from an old fashioned book

[John Etherington]

Regarding the petition for an honary knightood for Leonard, I tend to agree with Liverpool Ken (further back). I'm sure that Simon has the best of intentions in proposing this, and I've no doubt that if Leonard were awarded such a title, he would probably accept and say something like "Thank you for graciousness in bestowing upon me such a totally innapropriate award". HOWEVER, is such establishment recogntion appropriate for the man who identified himself with "the burning, the maimed, the broken and the torn... etc", and who tried "to change the system from within". I think not. In the unlikely event that Leonard does some more concerts, do we want to see the front rows occupied by the characters who append themselves to the latest fashionable knight? No. Do we really want to see Leonard's name listed alongside Sir Elton, Sir Cliff, Sir Mick and all the other dubious rock knights? No. And finally - I hear that erm..Bono has now accepted an honary knighthood. In today's Metro, he is quoted as saying "You can call me pretty much anything you want except Sir. You can call me lord of lords or a demi-god" (no wonder he has been described as "the preening, preposterous, pint-sized pixie prat"! So Leonard stay well clear of any such honour. I personally think that a posthumous sainthood would be far more appropriate for you!

[lizzytysh]

I personally think that a posthumous sainthood would be far more appropriate for you!

... and you've argued your case well, John Etherington.


~ Lizzy

[Yankovic]

Hi Simon

can be knighted but only with permission

Who exactly would have to give the permission?

Do people who are knighted or given the British Order also get a biography made about them that gets posted online anywhere, like they do for the Order of Canada and The Kennedy Center Honors?

The Governor General of Canada's web page for Leonard Cohen - The Orders and the mini-biographies
http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherc ... rc&id=2870

Governor General of Canada Official Site
http://www.gg.ca/menu_e.asp

The Kennedy Center Honors
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/ ... /home.html

The Official Website of the British Monarchy - NO BIOS HERE!
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp

[madjon]

Knight comes on
Whether or not a petition to knight Leonard would come off, I'm not sure, but I am sure I'd like to hear him on Desert Island Discs. They had fellow Canadian Donald Sutherland on the programme a few years ago, which was a delight. Leonard's songs feature on the programme every so often, so surely it's time to hear from the man himself too.

[Yankovic]

Leonard should get the Nobel and the Pulitzer too!


The Nobel
http://nobelprize.org/

The Pulitzer
http://www.pulitzer.org/

[loulou]

:0)

as i was reading this whole thread (catching up with it all in one go), i was appreciating what Simon was trying to do (probably ultimately expressing his appreciation & love in a way that makes sense to him, imho) but at the same time this kind of establishment honour felt wrong to me and i must admit, i was kind of relieved to see Leonard's approach .

so good on you Simon and good on you Leonard !

[dharma]

I'd like to hear him on Desert Island Discs.

it's nearly 20 years since the excellent omnibus documentary, so it would be great if leonard featured on something like the south bank show or alan yentob's imagine...

just a thought

[liverpoolken]

In the unlikelihood of him ever being offered one I thought we had laughed out the idea of LC ever accepting an honorary knighthood

I still can’t work out the thinking behind this preposterous idea.

This kind of honour (sic) has no merit at all.

The majority of knighthoods are handed out by sleaze-ridden politicians through the offices of that awful woman who calls herself the queen to fat cat industrialists, redundant politicians, and arse licking civil servants or flavour of the month celebrities.
With the odd one being bestowed on a street cleaner or local community worker as a sop to keep the masses happy.

The last well-known Canadian to accept a knighthood was the monstrous Conrad Black and he’s now in prison serving 6 years for fraud.

Another holder of an honorary knighthood is Robert Mugabe who as we all know is responsible for the deaths of tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Africans.

And I haven’t even mentioned Bonehead aka Bono.

Hopefully I would think that LC would fall into the same category as the late great Paul Scofield, actor and gentleman, who refused a knighthood not once but twice.

If it’s honours that LC seeks then may I suggest he could do no better than being made a Freeman Of The City of Liverpool, which would be an honour indeed.

Ta Ken

[Davido]

I couldn't agree more,Ken.
And what a great idea!

[Anne]

Leonard Cohen has already received the highest civil honour in the country of his birth. The Companion of The Order of Canada is a gigantic accomplishment. The award has three levels, he won it at the highest possible level. It recognizes "a lifetime of outstanding achievement and merit of the highest degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large".

I think that shows how highly he is regarded here.

[liverpoolken]

Anne

The granting of the freedom of a city is a quaint olde English custom that goes back many many years. While I completely agree with you about LC’s well deserved elevation into the honourable Companion of The Order of Canada there would be benefits to be gained from accepting the freedom of Liverpool.

A freeman of the City Of Liverpool has the right to drive sheep and cattle through the city at any time of day or night. He also has the right carry a naked sword in public; or if found drunk and incapable, he has the right to be asked to be placed into a conveyance of his choosing and transported home rather than be thrown into in a cell.

What more could a man ask for.

Ta Ken