ALISTAIR DARLING turned up at Stockbridge Market in Edinburgh yesterday for a Better Together "event", as this kind of political activity, conducted entirely for journalists and TV crews, is known.

We knew there was scant risk of bumping into actual voters because the market isn't even open on a Monday, as Mr Darling presumably knows, since he used to live round the corner. But the former Chancellor bowled up pretty much on time to glad-hand the crowd comprising a mix of Labour students, Tory students, a sprinkling of New Town sympathisers, one Conservative activist and a couple of city Parliamentarians.

Jim Murphy getting up on his Irn Bru crates carries the frisson of a potential projectile, verbal or eggy, being lobbed into the fray but Mr Darling dispensed with any form of soap box and arrived, did some television interviews, had a quick huddle with the press and departed.

His message? The No campaign was fine and dandy, nothing to panic about in the polls, always said it would be tight, George Osborne had not gone off script, people coming to realise the risk of independence. He didn't actual scream at the media, "nothing to see here, move along" but that would be a fair paraphrase.

The snappers insisted that a dog bearing No Thanks stickers was thrust into his hands, and the campaign leader posed accordingly, looking less than comfortable. As a result, after he had gone the pooch became the story.

For the record, and to prove your reporter leaves no stone unturned, the canine campaigner was Angus, a ten-year-old West Highland Terrier, who happened to be out with Gemma, a Border Terrier. In tow were New Town residents Michael and Pat Sharp, both No voters.

Mr Sharp, a sprightly 68, admitted he found little time for campaigning given the "allure of the golf course", but his "significantly younger" wife had done a bit of leafleting and made a donation to the cause. He said it was now obviously very close, possibly as close as the Quebec referendum, adding: "I hope common sense will come into play."

Mrs Sharp observed: "I think it would have been sensible to talk about more devolved powers a bit earlier."

The questioning from the media suggested we thought that too.