WHEN I was little, I used to be able to do a magic trick in which I would make a necklace disappear and then reappear. It used to stun all the grown-ups around me.

I used to place it on a table, cover it with a handkerchief, tap three times on the necklace with a magic wand, close my eyes, turn around three times, and when I lifted the handkerchief the necklace was gone. I would go through a similar process to make the necklace return. It was excellent, let me tell you.

In fact, it was so excellent, I was emboldened to show my teacher and all the kids in my class. I took a necklace, covered it with a paper towel, tapped on it three times with a pencil, closed my eyes, turned around three times, and lifted the handkerchief to reveal… a necklace.

What I did not know was that when I did the trick at home, while my eyes were closed and I was spinning around, my dad was removing the necklace in full view of all spectators.

This is basically how Cameron won two general elections and two referendums, and then lost the EU referendum, isn’t it?