Benjamin Disraeli famously spoke of “lies, damned lies and statistics”, but anyone who has spent a career in politics analysing election results knows why the adage endures.
Numbers can usually tell you what happened, but they cannot tell you why, and they certainly cannot tell you if it will happen again. Democrats in the United States and Labor here at home would do well to remember that as they celebrate a midterm result few dared predict a year ago, let alone a month ago.
Gift articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.
