If the honours system in this country needed any more reason to demonstrate it’s perverseness, this is it: Big Gates is getting a knighthood (also reported in The Guardian and BBC).
Whilst his charitable work is excellent, it’s frustrating that he’s being portrayed as some sort of faultless ‘global business leader’, when the reality is not as clear cut as politicians might like to think. Just last week it’s reported that Newham council were in price negotiations with MS, and were in a tight spot when it came to moving to cheaper Open Source products, because of the licensing restrictions Microsoft placed on them. With Microsoft also seeking to patent XML file formats, to further their stranglehold on office productivity tools, this knighthood is a bitter pill for a British ’subject’ such as myself.
Bill and Melinda Gates do some excellent work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and deserves recognition for that. But, as he’s an American citizen and supposed to dispense with such titles, I’m always a little puzzled when “KBE” is awarded. Where there’s a will there’s a way, so to speak. It’s too much to ask for, but Gates might like to consider returning his award after the effect, to draw more attention to the bizarre - indeed, corrupt - honours system we have in this country.
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