Northern Ireland faces an internal UK border under the Brexit deal, so unionists need to turn out and vote today

And after all, there are no general elections that lack significance.

The nation goes to the polls only once every four years on average, so there are a limited number of opportunities to decide the government of the United Kingdom.

Even so, this election — which got under way at 7am — really is one of the single most important general elections since the Second World War.

The country has been paralysed by Brexit since June 2016. Not just by the issue itself, but by all the other issues that it crowds out, such as the mounting challenges on health.

Yet this is also one of the most important general elections in Northern Ireland since 1945.

Brexit has exacerbated bitter divisions on a range of issues. Now the political centre ground has allied with nationalist Ireland in a way that it never did before.

The results here will be closely watched in London and Dublin. A poor vote for unionists will be interpreted as a sign of indifference to Boris Johnson’s plan for a border in the Irish Sea, and that plan might then progress at full speed.

What happens in constituencies in Great Britain is outside of this Province’s control. How unionist MPs react to a possible hung parliament is a matter for after the results.

For today, the urgent matter is turn out.

As ever, this newspaper is neutral between the unionist parties.

We applaud the way the DUP tried to neutralise critics by securing funding for all Northern Ireland, not just unionists.

We applaud the UUP’s opposition to an Irish language act and to the worst of the legacy proposals.

We applaud the TUV decision to stand down.

Now we need unionist voters to get to the polls and choose their preferred candidate in seats where there is a choice, and to support the unionist most likely to win if the seat could fall to a candidate who supports an Irish Sea border.

There is until 10pm tonight to vote.