Talking of public sector appointments, how odd that the UK government insists on improving corporate governance at listed companies – and then displays such largesse in governance on public bodies.

The Competition Commission, which looks after anti-trust issues in the UK, is advertising for two deputy chairs with an attractive salary of around £90,000 for a four-day week. While directors at the listed companies that the commission deals with get hauled over the coals if they have anything more than a one-year contract, the jobs at the commission are "normally made for eight years".