Unexpectedly!

We haven't had a good "UNEXPECTEDLY!" lately, so let's travel across the pond for the unexpectedly good economic news out of the UK.

U.K. services growth unexpectedly accelerated to the fastest pace in 16 years in October as the economy showed signs of pulling away from the rest of Europe.

A gauge of activity rose to 62.5 from 60.3 in September, the highest since May 1997, Markit Economics said today in London. The report came as the European Commission forecast the U.K. economy will grow 2.2 percent next year, twice the pace of the euro area and more than Germany and France.

Unexpected because the journalistic and policy elite believe deeply in all manner of Keynesian nonsense.  Elites have spouted rubbish for years now (from the Cameron government's first day to be precise) about how ever-so-slightly reining in Britain's atrocious budget deficits and debt would bring a hellfire of economic woe.  (Of course, I predicted the silliness.)  Cameron's Britain has been one of the few European governments to even attempt to get a handle on fiscal policy in a responsible and logical way by cutting profligacy and wastefulness.  The results are encouraging and the elites scratch their heads, 'Gee, that's unexpected.'

Precisely the opposite of what is going on here - fiscally disastrous Keynesian spending nuttiness and it's "unexpected" when the economy sputters.

Maybe it's time to reevaluate how they set their own expectations?  Nah.