This is so appalling:

Honours system quotas to decorate more women and ethnic minorities – Telegraph.

I guess you don’t have to worry about doing anything of merit anymore; you just have to be a woman or a minority.

Speaking as a woman, I would turn down an honor simply because of my sex. If, for instance,  I wanted to be honored by the Queen, I want it to be because Her Majesty appreciates my work promoting the value of a monarchy and Anglo-American relations. Not because the government wants to look good for the extremely uptight Politically Correct brigade.

Isn’t this why people were initially suspicious of the new Elizabeth Cross? Some said it was touching for the Queen to institute such an honor, and some said that if it was merely a Gordon Brown stunt designed to distract, they’d be angry.

Well, this is a government stunt, and I’m angry.  The Queen should not be a part of this tacky political arena.