Spin

Stats are great. Really they are.

The problems start when people start spinning the stats.  

Here's an example. 

The statistic that 24,000 families who do not live in the UK receive child benefit, costing millions of pounds, is "crackers", according to the Daily Mail. 

The same figure - without any mention of the 'millions of pounds' cost - was mentioned by Shaun Ley on this morning's Broadcasting House. 

He, however, spun presented it as being only 24,000 families, describing the numbers as "smaller" than might be expected. 

Spinning the stats then. 

Broadcasting House angled this immigration story as being about the criticism of British attitudes to immigration by an EU Commissioner (with form), the Hungarian leftist Lazlo Andor. 

That was their choice. They could have chosen to angle it with Iain Duncan Smith's criticism of the EU over the issue, but they chose not to. The Hungarian socialist was clearly their man.

Paddy O'Connell then gloated (yes, I think that's the right word) over the "very old-fashioned faultline in the Conservative Party" over the issue, and put on an 'arch' tone to describe the sceptical opinions of certain Tory MPs.

Spin, spin, spin.