Ask a silly question ...

A bizarre little letter appears in the Belfast Telegraph this morning, penned by Malachy Scott.  In response to an article I wrote in the paper, demanding a positive rather than defensive outlook for unionism, he challenges my contention that:  

Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and will remain so until a majority of people here decide otherwise.

He asks, "what principle is that exactly?  That a majority in the six counties outweighs a majority in Ireland as a whole?  What happened to the principle of national sovereignty".  

Leaving aside the philosophical point that the author obviously feels it's absolutely self-evident what does and does not constitute a nation, a more direct answer.  It's called the 'principle of consent' and it is accepted, North and South, by the vast vast majority of people in Ireland.