Back to the jelly bean jar again....
The aircraft will tolerate the over all up weight ops to a point, but as Nick points out, NONE of the service life, inspection intervals, or replenish requirements are calculated on you flying over weight. When you do it, you are using the jelly beans faster than designed. But is it you who ends up with the empty jar?
The amount of fatigue failures that can be directly attributed to overstress (over weight, over temp, over speed, over TQ, etc) is phenomenal. But how often is it that the pilot who overstresses is the pilot that ends up suffering the failure and its fatal consequences?
I think that pilots who use the jelly beans faster than designed, and dont tell anyone so fatigue life and inspections can be adjusted, are a pox on the earth. Especially if someone subsequently gets killed or injured. Imagine that when you are next just fudging it a bit.
No disrespect meant Nigel as I am sure there were other circumstances at play, and I am well aware of how times and education have since changed both peoples' tolerance and perception of the type of operation you describe. And I know you will agree that those days are over.
The machine will take it, but we now know that flying over all up weight is totally disregarding the life and welfare of your fellow pilots and their families. No matter how you justify it to yourself .