#ברעקסיט: די מלכּה 'ס ברעמאַיניאַק אַנערז רשימה

אויף 9 מאַרץ 2016, די זון tabloid newspaper claimed on its front page that the ‘QUEEN BACKS BREXIT’ only weeks before the UK’s referendum; however, the Queen’s birthday honours list tells a different story, שרייבט קאַטערין פעאָרע.

The original ‘story’ published in די זון newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, provoked a complaint by the Palace to the UK’s independent press standards organization (IPSO) on the grounds that the story broke the rules of the editor’s code of conduct and presented information that was “inaccurate, misleading or distorted”.

The complaint was upheld. Nevertheless, the ‘Leave’-supporting tabloid stood by its story. The source referred to a private lunch and it is thought to be attributable to ‘Vote Leave’ campaigner Michael Gove – who has just re-joined the government after a regrettably brief period in the wilderness. Sadly, the Queen is unable to make her views public.

The Queen’s ‘Birthday Honours’ lists published on 16 June, just days before the Brexit negotiations, tells a different story.

דזשק ראָוולינג

J.K. Rowling, already an OBE, has been elevated to ‘Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour’ for services to literature and philanthropy.

This was Rowling’s reaction to the triggering of Article 50 on 29^th מאַרץ:

אַדווערטייזמאַנט

#BrexitDay pic.twitter.com/QX69qQyHcX

- JK Rowling (@ jk_rowling) מאַרץ קסנומקס, קסנומקס

Delia Smith

Delia Smith CBE was also elevated to ‘Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour’. Delia is such a popular cook in the UK that her dishes are now recognised as a noun in the Oxford English Dictionary. You might invite your friends over for a ‘delia’, meaning a dish attributable to or in the style of Delia Smith.

Delia is also a majority shareholder in Norwich Football Club, where after a good lunch, during which some drink might have been taken, she called for the Canary supporters to back their team, shouting: “We need a 12th man here. Where are you? Where are you? Let's be havin' you! Come on!"

‘Let’s be havin’ you’ became a bumper sticker in Norfolk and Delia sported a ‘Let’s be havin’ EU’ T-shirt in the run-up to the referendum.

Smith, a devout Catholic, condemned the UKIP pro-Brexit poster, which showed a line of refugees with the words ‘Breaking Point’. She said: “When I looked at the poster and saw the caption I didn’t think it was just offensive, I thought it was anti-human. That’s how I felt about it.”

Arise Sir Jonathan!

Perhaps the most downright blatant Bremainer to receive an honour is Jonathan Faull; until January, Faull was the EU’s most senior UK European official in the European Commission. He was Director General (DG) for the European Commission’s Justice and Home Affairs Directorate General and DG for Financial Services in the difficult period of post-crisis reform. In this role, he worked closely with then Commissioner Michel Barnier.

Faull is to be knighted for services to UK relations with the European Union. Between September 2015 and September 2016, Faull was entrusted with the ‘special mission’, of chairing the ‘Task Force for Strategic Issues related to the UK Referendum’. At an event organized by ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’ based in London, Faull said: "Brexit negotiations will be the harsh reality of diplomacy. Nobody should be surprised unless they were a bit deluded."

Lord Stern

Lord Stern is elevated to a ‘Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour’ for services to Economics, International Relations and Tackling Climate Change. Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics and President of the British Academy, he is one of the world’s most respected experts on climate change.

Stern, when interviewed by Bloomberg before the referendum, said: “I think it would be insane. I hope that we get rid of the uncertainty and we stay in [the EU]. There are so many things, movement of goods, people. In negotiations on trade and climate you have a much stronger voice. People who can move their investment will – some of them, not all of them – will think twice about investing in the UK.”

As a cross-bencher in the House of Lords, Stern was one of 358 peers voting in favour of the amendment to the Article 50 Bill to guarantee the rights of EU nationals.

Terence Conran

Famous British designer and restaurant owner Terence Conran was elevated to ‘Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour’ for services to design. Following Brexit, Conran – along with other British architects and designers – was a signatory of a ‘Brexit Design Manifesto’.

The manifesto points to the serious challenges that will be faced by the architecture and design sector after Brexit and points to the benefits the UK’s membership of the EU has brought. It points out that the EU-27 continue to be the most important export market for design services and the largest talent pool for employees.

“Architectural landmarks such as the Reichstag in Berlin and the Centre Pompidou in Paris fly the flag for our design expertise in the most prominent way possible.”

Mark Elder

Sir Mark Elder CBE, music director, Hallé Manchester was elevated to ‘Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour’. When asked by די גאַרדיאַן about the referendum result, he said: “This is a very difficult day for music, which relies so much on the talents and energies of soloists and players from Europe. My orchestra contains 14 nationalities, most of them from the EU, and our artistic life in Manchester is immeasurably enriched by the free exchange of labour. Let’s hope that wise counsel prevails when the details are discussed.”

בילי קאָננאָללי

Popular Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly CBE has been elevated to a ‘Sir’ for services to entertainment and charity.

At a gig in Belfast in February, Connolly started his act with the following sentence: "Brexit, Nigel Farage, Donald Trump - we're f**ked!"

דזשולי וואַלטערס

Walters, famous for roles in בילי עליאַט און Educating Rita was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Walters, a life-long Labour supporter, expressed doubts about Jeremy Corbyn as a leader; while acknowledging that he was ‘a great bloke’, she singled out his absence in the debate around Brexit: “I wasn’t aware of him really making any speeches.”

Who isn’t on the list?

A petition on Change.org to award a knighthood to Nigel Farage in the New Year’s Honours List for his ‘tireless campaign for an independent United Kingdom’ fell just 698 signatures short of its 10,000 objective. Farage claims to be ambivalent about a title, but רוסלאַנד הייַנט decided to honour him with a spoof knighthood from a young girl with a plastic sword.

Rather than turning to hearsay, we think it is better to turn to the Queen’s own words. In 2015, during a visit to Germany, the Queen made a speech where she said that the United Kingdom had always been closely involved with its continent and that division in Europe was dangerous.

We leave the last word to Her Majesty the Queen:

 

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