Arise Sir Ben

BT's Dutch supremo, Ben Verwaayen, has been awarded an honorary KBE by the Queen, thus joining other non-British recipients such as Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates and George Bush Sr.

"This is a fantastic tribute to everyone who has worked so hard to transform BT into a communication services company with a global reach and a bright future," said Ben. It is? What, the same BT that just recently came bottom in a table of broadband customer satisfaction? I wonder who supplies connectivity to Buck House.

BT chairman Sir (snap!) Mike Rake said Verwaayen's KBE came about because he "has been a powerful advocate for the benefits of free trade and globalisation, and has engaged in a series of critical public policy debates, including his recent chairmanship of the CBI Task Force on Climate Change". Which makes more sense. Especially the first bit.