No thanks     * Some who refused British honors, according to a list published by The Sunday Times. CBE is Commander of the British Empire, OBE Officer of the Order of the British Empire.   Michael Frayn, writer, declined knighthood, 2003   John Cleese, comedian, declined CBE, 1996   Kenneth Branagh, actor, declined CBE, 1994   Geraldine McEwan, actress, declined damehood 2002, declined OBE 1986   Honor Blackman, actress, declined CBE, 2002   Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, comedians, declined OBE, 2001   Albert Finney, actor, declined knighthood, 2000   David Bowie, singer, declined CBE, 2000   Alan Bennett, playwright, declined knighthood, 1996   Roald Dahl, author, declined OBE, 1986   Aldous Huxley, author, declined knighthood, 1959   Evelyn Waugh, author, declined CBE, 1959   SOURCE: The Associated Press

LONDON - Sir Mick Jagger was delighted to become a knight. Keith Richards called it a disgrace. As with the Rolling Stones, so with British society: Some crave titles, some refuse them, some consider it all a joke. Still others, like Winston Churchill, change their minds - perhaps when later offered a higher rank or from a government more to their taste. The Sunday Times this week published a list of 300 people - including singer David Bowie, comedian John Cleese and actors Albert Finney and Kenneth Branagh - who declined honors since 1945. About 2 percent of the 3,000 people chosen each year decline, according to the government. Most do so quietly, but last month poet Benjamin Zephaniah publicly rejected an OBE - Officer of the Order of the British Empire - because the title reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality." "Stick it, Mr. Blair and Mrs. Queen, stop going on about empire," he wrote in The Guardian newspaper. After the list was published, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government promised to make the system of awarding knighthoods and other honors more open. Twice a year the government announces recipients of a host of titles, from knighthoods and damehoods to Companions of Honor, for exceptional achievement or service to the nation. Though the honors are bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II, most recipients are chosen by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public. The government wants to increase diversity on the selection committees - currently largely white, male and over 60 - and among recipients. Government statistics show that between 2 percent and 4 percent of the top honors go to ethnic minorities, who make up about 8 percent of the population. But some lawmakers are calling for a bigger overhaul. "I think they are decided on a whim, I think they are capricious," said Labor Party lawmaker Gordon Prentice. "I just think it is time to get rid of all these ridiculous gradations. We need an open, simple, transparent system. The whole system really needs shaking up." The Cabinet Office said all decisions about honors were made "entirely on merit." However, one leaked document revealed that tennis star Tim Henman was being recommended for an OBE to "add interest" to the list. When the New Year's Honors are announced next week, Henman now is in the no-win situation of being revealed as considered but rejected, or given an honor for dubious reasons. While rockers including Jagger, Elton John and Paul McCartney have been happy to accept knighthoods, many celebrities have quietly refused. Rolling Stones guitarist Richards - who apparently has not been offered an award - criticized Jagger for accepting the "paltry honor." Bowie turned down a CBE - Commander of the British Empire - and was quoted as saying he would never accept a knighthood. "I seriously don't know what it's for," he said. No thanks * Some who refused British honors, according to a list published by The Sunday Times. CBE is Commander of the British Empire, OBE Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Michael Frayn, writer, declined knighthood, 2003 John Cleese, comedian, declined CBE, 1996 Kenneth Branagh, actor, declined CBE, 1994 Geraldine McEwan, actress, declined damehood 2002, declined OBE 1986 Honor Blackman, actress, declined CBE, 2002 Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, comedians, declined OBE, 2001 Albert Finney, actor, declined knighthood, 2000 David Bowie, singer, declined CBE, 2000 Alan Bennett, playwright, declined knighthood, 1996 Roald Dahl, author, declined OBE, 1986 Aldous Huxley, author, declined knighthood, 1959 Evelyn Waugh, author, declined CBE, 1959 SOURCE: The Associated Press