Editorial: The unionist visit to America on behalf of Northern Ireland was good value for money, and certainly worth it

​The visit by Northern Ireland leaders to Washington DC this year was a triumph.

It ended up being a solely unionist affair, but this was because nationalists and Alliance boycotted the US capital over President Donald Trump, although only Sinn Fein seemed to be entirely explicit about that snub.

There was an absurdity to their protest, given that President Trump seemed not to notice it or, if he did, care. Politicians from the province are not going to get the leader of a superpower to change his mind on a foreign policy approach towards nations far away from Northern Ireland. But such leaders can from time to time be slightly influenced to think positively about NI.

St Patrick’s Day is the one time of the year where it might be possible to steer American powerbrokers. That is what the Stormont delegation tried, selling NI as a place to visit, to do business and have links with.

This is a change on 50 years ago, when March 17 was a very Irish nationalist celebration, indeed a Republic of Ireland-dominated one.

After the 1998 agreement, this changed and Northern Ireland politicians came on to the radar.

This year the deputy first minister of NI, Emma Little-Pengelly travelled to DC, as did her DUP colleagues, the communities minister Gordon Lyons and education minister Paul Givan, also the Ulster Unionist health minister Mike Nesbitt, the UUP leader Jon Burrows and the DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley (who paid his own way). They we good ambassadors.

Now Mr Lyons is defending the £40,000 cost of his own visit with officials. This is not big money in light of the reception that he hosted, attended by US senators and congress members, and his access to key information on the links between Ulster and the early America.

This newspaper is scathing about extravagant public expenditure. That trip was, on the contrary, good value.