Brickonomics

Is it me or are you living in a different world than that described by the national statisticians?

Today we are asked to accept that retail sales increased in August led by a jump in sales of shoes and clothes.

What have we got here? Do we have a consumer addiction problem? Do we have freaked-out shopperholics worrying about where the next penny is coming from suddenly cracking in the gloom and dampness of August and going on a buying binge to ease the discomfort?

Surely shoes and clothes are among the easiest things to cut back on, given that such a high proportion never get worn anyway. Am I just too conventional?

Then there were the mix-adjusted house prices. The department for Communities and Local Government figures tell me that the price of the average (mixed adjusted) second hand home was £217,108 in July up from the £216,349 in February and up from the dip in June when prices were apparently £214,598.

How does this square with the message screaming from the windows of estate agents windows, which increasingly seem to be advertising price cuts of 10% or more?

I don't want to kick statisticians. I, unlike most I suspect, hold the profession in high regard. But I am certainly not living in a world that fits with the national statistics.

Perhaps I need to get out more.