If you’re about to launch yourself into an almighty rant about people you do not like being “inept” , it’s probably a good idea to make sure you get your facts right. Guido meant to complete this take down of Tuscany’s finest earlier, but got distracted. Polly Toynbee’s diatribe this morning was riddled with more mistakes than she owns houses. The entire premise of the article was a half-time review of the coalition, which Polly states is tomorrow, it seems pretty much everyone else disagrees. The Guardian‘s very own Patrick Wintour set it at  the beginning last month. He even wrote his own half time report…

She talks of “cutting into a slump has killed demand, paralysed investment and choked off growth”, wilfully blind to the fact that the ONS say retail was up 1.6% in October on the year, and 4.9% since 2010. Consumer confidence is also up – seven points in one month – and the UK currently enjoys the highest business confidence in the EU. It’s hardly much to write home about, nevertheless you could be forgiven for thinking Polly is ignoring the fact that GDP increased by 1% in Q3. Note that she can’t explain what is going on with the employment figures either.

Polly concludes: “This is the world of Smythson of Bond Street, headed by Cameron’s wife”. A basic fact-check from a sub would have thrown up the fact that SamCam quit “heading up” Smythson in May 2010. The whole thing is wrong from top to bottom.

Did anyone even read it before it went to print?