Yes, yes, these are febrile, frenetic times, where the political stakes are undoubtedly the highest they have been for some sixty years. But, with passions seething indefinitely at fever pitch, parliamentarians seem to be losing their grip on recent history – and on logic. Some clamour for a second referendum, some for a different deal, some for no deal, some for calling the whole thing off – one and all brimming with messianic zeal and oracular certitude. The House of Commons listens, on repeat, to a chaotic and unscripted chorus of sincerer-than-thou soliloquy. It may be salutary, then, to provide – if you can bear it – a step-by-step reminder of where things actually stand: