It is a trait in human psychology that if something bizarre and outrageous is dressed up in imposing terminology and implemented with the solemn endorsement of the great and the good, provided it remains in place for a sufficient length of time, it will become an accepted feature of the landscape. Such was the case with many inequitable demands imposed by the European Union on its members, not least among them the requirement that any referendum which delivered the “wrong” result should be re-run.