Quote Originally Posted by surge View Post
The process itself stinks but, from my opinion at least, it can give a voice to people who wouldn't want a political career, or wouldn't be given a chance at having one, but do have an important contribution to make. Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson was made a Dame in 2010 and while I cannot tell you numbers for disabled MP's in 2010 there were only 3 voted in from the 2015 class, so TGT may have been representing a group of people who otherwise had a very small voice from 2010 onwards. Compare that to Neil Hamilton who has been voted into the Senedd despite all he's done and give me a non-elected house any day.
This is where it gets complicated, because not all dames are in the house of lords, and certainly a knighthood doesn't give entry to the house of lords.

For exmple, while Dame Tanni is a Baroness, Dame Judy Dench is just a dame. So the title dame doesn't disnguish between someone in the house of lords or a woman with what is ostensibly a knighthood.

Still, there ain't nothinfg like a dame.