Xavier Rolet for French president. Andy Haldane to take over from Mark Carney at the Bank of England. UK mayors to have fiscal powers to raise money for new roads and rail. Oh, and quantitative easing should be scrapped and UK citizens hosed down with free money.

These were among the wilder ideas I heard at the fringe in Birmingham at events so full there was standing room only. Forget the conference hall; it was in the pubs and marquees where there were 70 or so fringe sideshows devoted to Brexit that the Tory faithful were queuing around the block to get in. They couldn't get enough.