'You cannot hope to bribe or twist -
thank God - the British journalist.
But, seeing what the man will do
unbribed, there's no occasion to.'

(Humbert Wolfe)

So who was Britain's most wined and dined civil servant between 2007 and 2009?

Step forward our very own Permanent Secretary for Tax, Dave Hartnett who, amongst civil servants taken to football matches, flower shows and the opera, was the beneficiary of hospitality 107 times in the three years.

Shock horror? Not exactly. Indeed 'exactness' (along with fairness, a sense of proportion, and even a smidgeon of self-awareness) are all completely missing from the way this story was widely reported.

To begin with, none of the reports seems to say whether Hartnett was offered any hospitality other than the breakfasts lunches and suppers which make up 'most' of the 107 occasions.

Since they would know if he had (such events had to be separately declared), I assume he probably was not.

Yet from a quick skim of the articles you would be forgiven for thinking that Hartnett was at some sort of exciting and expensive cultural or sporting event every other night.

So the sum total of the story is that, roughly once a fortnight, Hartnett was forced to sit and eat rubber chicken for a couple of hours listening to someone in accountancy, law or banking droning on about why it was absolutely vital that a particular tax break was either preserved or introduced.

Not my idea of fun. And if anyone thinks that Hartnett would be influenced by such hospitality, they obviously haven't met him.

Many people would be pleased to contribute to a catalogue of his faults, but being a soft touch would not be on the list - rather the reverse.

If, on the other hand, you want to find a group that is usually very quick to sniff out a freebie and fill their boots in the hospitality tent, might I point you in the direction of my current profession of journalism?

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