HOW typical of the snooty Times newspaper to believe that the world revolves around London.

Blackburn is not the ideal spot for an international summit meeting, it says.

This is after Home Secretary Jack Straw announced that the town will host a top-level conference of police chiefs and experts from across Europe aimed at preventing hooliganism at next year's World Cup tournament in France.

So what's wrong with Blackburn in their view?

There are no decent hotels, it sneers.

Delegates would have to travel to the Ribble Valley for good accommodation.

But apart from it being accused of warping a council spokesman's comments on this issue, what irks is the weary, old supercilious attitude that there still is nothing of importance north of Watford.

It is arrogance mixed with ignorance.

True, Blackburn lacks a major town-centre hotel.

Indeed, it is something about which Mr Straw, as its MP, has been concerned for years.

But all around - and within shorter driving times than it would take a Times journalist to travel a few blocks in central London - there are lots of top-flight hotels.

And, as for the summit venue of Ewood Park - which, it seems, the newspaper's reporter had no idea is the home of the 1995 Premiership champions - it boasts conference facilities second to none.

Furthermore, as soccer is the item on the agenda, the north in general and Blackburn in particular are ideal locations for this important seminar.

After all, the premiership trophy has never been out of the north and, last season, all four leagues were won by northern teams.

We know all about football - and how to put on a proper show for guests from overseas.

Yet, looking down its nose, The Times sees everything from the sort of London-above-all slant that, rightly, gets up the northerner's nose.

For if it took the trouble to poke its nose north of Watford for once, and looked at what East Lancashire has to offer, it would at least be disabused of its ignorance, if not its own too-great sense of importance.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.