Project Fear 2 is a rubbish sequel. But it will still work

Sometimes, in this game, it’s tempting to over-complicate things. The lesson of Talleyrand’s death – What did he mean by that? – has been all too well absorbed. And so we search for hidden meanings and a deeper truth whenever a politician says something. The real story always lurks beneath the surface, nothing should be taken at face value and everyone is always thinking three moves ahead.

It’s an appealing thought right enough. The trouble is it’s also often nonsense. Sometimes even politicians just mean what they say.

Nicola Sturgeon’s visit to London yesterday offered a case in point. The First Minister insisted, as she has always insisted, that she wants the UK to remain a member of the European Union. But that did not mean she had to embrace every aspect of the Remain campaign, far less endorse its wilder claims of a pestilential future if voters are deluded enough to vote to Leave.