Broadbent's Mid Life Crisis

Ben Broadbent, The Bank of England's deputy governor, put the cat among the pigeons by saying the UK economy is entering a "menopausal" era.

Quite what that means in terms of economic performance I have no idea.

However, it seems that Broadbent was trying to imply that the economy was past its prime. Which of course, in terms of economics, is an absurdity as economies fluctuate like the bends in a river.

Anyhoo, economics aside, the comments understandably sparked a backlash from women on Twitter who objected to his use of the phrase.

Nikki Garnett, a blogger, said:

"How dare you Ben Broadbent? 

Menopausal women have not lost their potency, in fact they are just reaching it... as I suspect you will find out in reactions to your anachronistic comment."

Bankers and economists should stick to the numbers and avoid mixing their medical metaphors.