Whether Northern Ireland should at this time be part of a United Ireland is one question, and it was one which was put to the people of Ireland in a referendum.

But whether it should be part of the United Kingdom is another question entirely - and it one which has never been put to the people of Britain.

That may be a good thing, since the likely result of a resounding "No" vote, which I would expect such a referendum to produce would probably be a pretty unpleasant Orange Free Statelet, and a renewed conflict which would very likely be even nastier than the last one.