ALL that glisters is not gold ...

and not every spectacular needs to be glitzy. The organisers of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony have avoided gimmicks, superficial glamour and star names and are to shine the spotlight where it belongs, on the people of Glasgow.

The budget of £21m, which also covers the closing ceremony, is, naturally enough, dwarfed by the £27m lavished on Danny Boyle's curtain-raiser for the London Olympics 2012, but the event looks likely to be a winner all the same.

It will celebrate Glasgow's "gallus" personality in a spectacular performance by 2000 local volunteer performers before 40,000 spectators and an estimated one billion television viewers across the globe

Choreographer Rocky Smith said: "We were looking to see what makes Glasgow shine and found to our delight that people radiated that through dancing skills or through a cracking personality."

Anyone who knows the city and its citizens will not be in the least surprised. We look forward to July 23 with keen anticipation. Let the people of Glasgow flourish.