come back to what you know

Wales may be the UK's 'underwired erotic coquette', but last week it was Norn Iron's turn to make the news when it was lauded by the world's most patronising guidebook, Lonely Planet.

Lonely planet founder Maureen Wheeler apparently claimed, "I love the city, its grittiness, its resilience and its beauty and I love how Belfast people turn every social interaction into an excuse for a party." Maureen loves her home city so much that she lives in...Australia.

It's hard to argue that Belfast is a city on the rise. But a sense of perspective may be needed here. The best parts of the city for any visitor depends on their denomination: crusties will want to loiter outside the City Hall then head to the Limelight, while steeky spides appreciate the Superbowl, or anywhere with a good supply of Bucky.

Never mind tourism though, after 40 years of subsidising 'our wee country' and its curious political system-not to mention El Gordo's latest offer of fifty billion quid-most British taxpayers probably feel they've earned an all-expenses trip to Northern Ireland. I have it on good authority that they'll get a warm welcome: as Maureen says, "the people are warm and genuine".