Early in the campaign for Scottish independence the SNP commissioned a party political broadcast called Two Futures. It told the story of Kirsty, a baby due to be born on polling day. ‘What kind of country will I grow up in?’ she asks in a childish falsetto.
One vision of the future is full of colour and gap-toothed smiles, with children skipping and laughing on their way to school. A nuclear family sit around the breakfast table in a sun-kissed kitchen eating fruit (this scene acts as a useful reminder that the broadcast is set firmly in the realm of fantasy).
The alternative is a future in which Scotland votes to remain in the United Kingdom. In this monochrome dystopia the Palace of Westminster looms above an innocent child. She sits with a teddy bear in silhouette beneath the projected image of a chain-link fence. Then a tank rumbles over her head.
The SNP can be forgiven for being schmaltzy; their strategists believed that if they lost the referendum it would rob the party of its purpose.

Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in