With talk of referendums in the air, we will all hear the old adage that the answer will of course depend upon the way the question is formulated. The suggestion is that clever people can always contrive to get the answer they want – just by being smart with the syntax.

No doubt there are consultors who think they can steer those whom they consult to provide an acceptable answer with a terminological slight of hand. But in practice, such subterfuge seldom works. Consultation is a little like letting the genie out of the bottle. Once opened, it’s rather difficult to control the situation, and virtually impossible to put the stopper back in again!