The forecasts published by ourselves in February, and by the Treasury and the London Business School in March, showed remarkable unanimity about the prospects for the economy in 1988. We all said that the growth rate year on year would be about 3 per cent, that the rate of inflation would be about 4 per cent by the fourth quarter, and that the current account of the balance of payments would be in deficit by about £4 billion. It remains to be seen whether this solidarity can be maintained in the face of the conflicting evidence about the recent performance of the economy from the indicators which have been published in the last three months.