misceng

UK

retired

It was ever thus. Just after WWII tobacco was scarce. A ship landed at Bristol and the press estimates of the number of cigarettes to be made from its cargo varied by a factor of 400:1.

Politicians prefer percentages where they can make comparisons without revealing the base.

About the same time as the tobacco fiasco, Moscow radio revealed that Poland had increases wheat production by 100 per cent whereas West Germany had only increased its production by 10 per cent.

The small print was that in Poland the comparison was with the devastated state after the war while the West German comparison was with the prewar bumper harvest.

You must never trust figures you cannot verify fully.