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[Aileen]

Anyone else think it's ridiculous that golfer Rory McIlroy should have been awarded an MBE at the age of just 22?

My own feeling is that nobody under the age of 30 should get an award of any kind.  The whole system is so unfair with many well-deserving people having to wait until they're twice McIlroy's age, or older, before they get such recognition.

[Bevc]

Jonny Wilkinson was 23 when he got his MBE and there have been younger recipients, the youngest is Ellie Simmonds, a paraolympian swimmer, who was 14 years old when she recieved hers.

As soon as Andy gets that 1st grand slam in the bag, I expect he will be up for an accolade or two.

[Sir Panda]

Anyone else think it's ridiculous that golfer Rory McIlroy should have been awarded an MBE at the age of just 22?

My own feeling is that nobody under the age of 30 should get an award of any kind.  The whole system is so unfair with many well-deserving people having to wait until they're twice McIlroy's age, or older, before they get such recognition.

Why have you specifically chosen 30?

[Littlebuddha]

You know who should get awards the people who do voluntary work for years and help support people in their homes. I worked as a carer for years. The people who look after relatives and get no help what so ever and are taken for granted. If they stopped working the welfare system would grind to a halt. So much for Cameron's big society. Those poor elderly people are lucky if they see someone once a day. They are frail and needs to be washed dressed and fed. The relatives who look after them are the ones who should get awards. They are very lucky if they get  a brake for a week or so. The frail and the elderly are as usual at the bottom of the heap once you have stopped working your value to society is seen as nil.

[AL1874]

My brother got an OBE years ago for stuff he done in Iran helping to set up their new government and help with reconstruction.

To the best of my knowledge he has it in a drawer somewhere gathering dust and does not use the letters after his name.

I can't see the point to them, the awards or the Royals. However, the twice I met Anna last year she was pleasent enough though.

[Alis]

I'm not in any way anti-royal I just think the awards system is outdated and needs reviewing.

[Aileen]

I'm not in any way anti-royal I just think the awards system is outdated and needs reviewing.

My sentiments entirely.  And I agree with most of what has been said on this page.  Handing them out willy-nilly to people just because they've done the same boring job for years is totally unfair.  Recipients should have achieved something really worthwhile, which is why I used the age 30 as a benchmark.  How many people can achieve great things in less than that?  Also why do some who deserve them have to wait decades before they're recognised?  McIlroy wins the US Open at 22 and gets an MBE.  Clarke wins the British Open at 43 and finally gets an OBE.  Yet who's given the longest service to golf?

I'm happy Chris Paterson got an MBE

CP thoroughly deserved his after all that he has given to Scottish rugby over the past few years.

[Aileen]

Astonished that McIlroy got one. To be fair, though, British Open aside, Clarke hasn't exactly had an amazing career.

For me, this is the trouble with golf. I'm not saying that Clarke was a flukey winner of the Open, but you do get lots of dodgy major winners. I reckon the reason for this is cos the majors are no different to normal tour events - they're played over four days, just the same.

Compare that to tennis majors, which have seven rounds, instead of the usual four or five, and best-of-five matches instead of three. Sorts the wheat from the chaff.

I'm not a golfing fan, but I see your point about the difference in majors.  Clarke, though, may not have had an amazing career, but he's certainly been around a lot longer than McIroy.  Also McIlroy blotted his copy-book at the British Open, moaning about the dreadful weather and course conditions and blaming it for his poor performance, saying that he preferred the hotter climate of the US.  Then he goes and messes up his wrist in a tournament in Atlanta by, unbelievably, trying to hit a ball from behind a tree root.  Quite amazing that from a pro!  Only won two minor titles towards the year's end after that.