The Office of National Statistics, the official statistics agency of the U.K. government, did a survey on their credibility among the British public. The results were not good. The Scotsman newspaper reports:

One in three people does not believe official statistics according to a survey . . . by the Office for National Statistics.

Only four in ten trust government figures - suggesting that spin doctors have created a climate of public distrust about official statistics, even when the data is [sic] accurate.

The inevitable government spokesman said everything's fine.

A spokesman for the ONS said: "National Statistics are produced to high professional standards. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference."

I'm afraid he's right, if only because it would be practically impossible for a national statistics agency to cover up any doctoring of official numbers. The ONS employs many thousands of data analysts, hundreds of whom are involved in estimating, say, the monthly unemployment rate. Getting away with altering that statistic for political reasons requires that all of those analysts keep their mouths shut—forever.  A cover-up of that magnitude could not survive more than a few days. Someone would spill the beans.

The Watergate cover-up conspiracy, involving only a few men with immense political power, lasted less than two weeks. How long could a conspiracy involving hundreds of politically powerless number-crunchers last? I know I'd sing right away. Sitting quietly by while statistics that I painstakingly estimated using all my arcane statistical expertise are falsified and then released to the public isn't in my job description.

As long as I'm talking about the ONS, I thought I'd post this photo of me in front of the Office of National Statistics building, 1 Drummond Gate, London, taken in July 2004. It's in a very nice neighbourhood, close by the Tate Britain gallery and not too far from Harrod's.

I didn't go in to chat with my professional peers. Besides the fact that I looked like a drowned tourist (it was a rainy day), this was on a Saturday, so the building was closed.