THERE are few sights I find more pitiful than a neglected buffet table.

Last month, Chancellor George Osborne left caterers crestfallen when the message came through shortly before his arrival at Heerema’s yard in Hartlepool that he had eaten on the train and therefore wouldn’t be sampling the magnificent spread they had prepared for him.

You could almost see the cheese platter wilt with disappointment.

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Ben Broadbent was so pressed for time when I met him at Durham Business School last week he chomped his way through a late buffet lunch during our interview. It was nice to see a lad with a healthy appetite.

As one of the nine-strong committee responsible for setting interest rates, Ben was in the region to share his views on monetary policy. Between mouthfuls of chicken satay and quiche he offered me an insight into the gentle wrangling that goes on when the MPC meets.

“We may disagree with one another but it’s pretty civilised. Everyone gets a fair hearing and can say what he wants.”

‘He’ is the operative word at the MPC, which has become a boys-only club.

“There aren’t many women economists – that’s the misfortune,” added Ben. So, would he like to see a woman appointed as the new Governor of the Bank of England when Mervyn King retires in June?

Since Sir John Houblon became the first Governor in 1694, every one of them has been a bloke. The post was advertised in The Economist last Friday but Kate Barker at 25/1 is the only woman on the bookies’ shortlist, which includes rank outsiders Harry Redknapp and former PM Gordon Brown. “It’s enough trouble for me to choose interest rates, I’ve no interest in choosing the Governor. And even less in taking the job on myself.”

concluded Ben, as he looked down at an empty plate.

STAFF at SSI’s steelworks rang the fire brigade in the early hours of Saturday to put out a blaze. Perhaps they should have called Phil Dryden.

The SSI boss has become an expert firefighter since taking charge at the Redcar site. Strikes, technical gremlins, rocketing costs, plummeting prices – you name it, the steelman has pretty much had everything chucked at him since he joined in April last year.

His latest challenge is to keep his creditors happy, or at least have them in a supportive mood while the fledgling business finds its feet. But the global market is fierce and you can’t help but fear for a small player like SSI amid rumours that China could soon unleash tonnes of cut-price steel onto the market.

The rebirth of iron and steelmaking on Teesside is the business feelgood story of the year. Let’s pray it has a happy ending.

LAST week I rejoined Twitter, ending a two-year hiatus. After following tweets by my colleagues on The Northern Echo at the weekend, I now know that BBC comedy The Thick of It is very funny and that athlete Mo Farrah is a jolly nice chap.

I’ve missed such valuable insights. For similar pearls of wisdom please follow me at @AndyRichardsonBizEcho