Sic Transit

Every British Government in the history of Northern Ireland has wanted rid of the place, and making it vastly more cumbersome to trade across the Irish Sea than across the Irish Border is London's best ever chance of bringing that about.

Proponents of Scottish independence should also take note. As the United Kingdom is to remain subject to EU law even while having no say over its content, so, on exactly the same principles, Scotland would have to continue to abide by the enactments of both Westminster and Brussels, which latter would never, ever admit it to membership with the necessary unanimity.

By the way, the Bank of England would never continue to licence banks in an independent Scotland to print their own sterling notes, so there would be only English banknotes in the SNP's envisaged Kingdom of Scotland, just as there are only American banknotes in Panama.

Being subject to EU law while having no say over its content will of course be an intolerable state of affairs. The only transition period that our lords and masters have ever envisaged has been the period of transition back into the EU, and therefore on whatever terms that the EU cared to set.

I had assumed that that would take 10 years. But now I expect that, without anything like a referendum, it will all be complete before the next General Election, with no more than 50 votes against it on the floor of the House of Commons. Just so long as the United Ireland had happened first. To the British Establishment, that would be the ultimate win-win.