In praise of fatty foods

We may not all delight in the gastronomic delights of an all beef patty in a sesame seed bun, but few can argue that Mcdonalds is not a well run business. It is one of the best examples of a company that takes a simple idea and does it well on a grand scale. It is its performance that keeps it ahead of the company, and the credit for that must go to the people who work there. That includes the management team as well as the front of house burger flippers, or as we will call them next year, Oxbridge Arts graduates.

So it was refreshing to see the down-to-earth no-nonsense approach of Steve Easterbrook, UK CEO of Mcdonalds, who by a quirk of the BBC booking system shared a Question Time panel not only with three MPs but also with Ben Brogan of the Daily Telegraph. Mr Easterbrook cut the politicians dead with his castigation of their collective behaviour (a "national disgrace"), and expressed his amazement at their inability to get an expenses system that worked fairly for the "employer" and the "employee", always a simple matter in the private sector. It was a joy to watch the faces of the politicians.

Hats off to Mr Easterbrook. You are a credit to your company, your staff and yourself. Your country salutes you, even if we don't all choose to gorge on your ready to go packages of fat-laden cow renderings and deep fried carbohydrates.