On a bender

Sir Gus O'Donnell, cabinet secretary, gives an interview to the FT today in which he defends recent allegations that top civil servants have been enjoying huge numbers of freebies at every social event going. "We need to get out there and be an open civil service that is in favour of networking and meeting people, and which doesn't hide itself away like monks in a cell. If that means Sir Brian Bender has to eat for his country at breakfast, lunch and dinner, mostly giving talks that business people have asked him to do, that is part of his job."
'Sir Brian Bender is the business department permanent secretary who had attended the most events' reports the FT. Well, with a name like that, what do you expect? Arise, Lord Bender!