Great Britain? The keeper of peace? They started a pointless war against Qing and Hawaii! How is that peaceful?
OOC: No, you didn't outright refuse but you didn't accept either, and anyway even if you had accepted the government would make it sound like you had refused. He wouldn't get stacks of Infamy and as for losing the next election this probably just made him more popular.
OOC: Technically I never refused I just couldn't apologise in a way you wanted me to so you never got a CB so you got stacks of Infamy and your people view the Government in Britain hate for being aggressive warmongers and so you'll lose the election get kicked out and someone more sensible will come in (In game at least though even with a change of government it'll likely do nothing to affect your behaviour.)