Dear MAV,
as a conservative you should be more careful about throwing titles around! I am sure my brother Kev, and Little Hawk would bristle as I do at being called Sir. There have been Sirs in our family (Sir John Otway for example) but now we are just happy to be, well productive, workers, happy workers, no title! Brothers and Sisters in that greatest of all fraternaties, the producing class. Sir implies that we are useless parasites. Now, I know that over here in the US, the fact that titles are disavowed, we get sloppy about these things, as well, they mean so little, but my dear, dear MAV PLEASE! Sir? In Ireland we pronouce that Sor... louse os Gaelige... so, how bout friend?
Lorcan Ri