Chomsky

On Friday evening last around 18:30, I found myself sheltering from the intermittent rain under the porch at the entrance to the Whitla Hall at Queens University, Belfast. There was a fairly large crowd getting ready to grab the best vantage points to hear Noam Chomsky speak on matters political. The usual Young Socialists were in attendance handing out pamphlets, along with beardies of various lengths and ordinary Joes like me, all dodging the spikes on the end of dripping umbrellas while quietly edging our way toward the unopened doors.

Not much later, I found myself a great seat, only four rows from the front and along the centre aisle. While waiting for thirty five minutes for the event to begin, I spotted a few familiar faces including Bernadette McAliskey (nee Devlin) and that other blonde woman from the women’s party – can’t remember her name. I was feeling rather pleased with myself and my seat until I realised I’d be playing seat aerobics as the hall started to fill. Stand up, step to the side, let someone in, step back in, sit down…and repeat ad nauseam.

Before long, we were treated to a short video showing some of the issues that Amnesty International have raised around the world, and following some introductions, Noam Chomsky joined us to tumultuous applause.

I have been a fan of Chomsky’s uncovering of conspiracies and shining his light where the establishment doesn’t want us to look, for some years. My father, who introduced me to Chomsky’s world, is an avid reader of his books, although I find them a little dry at times. His lecture was his usual mix of fascinating insight and shocking discovery, and while it was delivered in an almost monotone voice, his wit shone through at various times. I found myself wondering how he keeps up to date with so much going on in the world and imagining that he needs to read perhaps twenty hours a day just to stay relevant. The depth and breadth of his knowledge is astounding, but what is most interesting is how he sees the connections between things with such clarity. During the lecture and later in the interview segment with William Crawley, he covered Cuba, Guantanamo, Iran, Iraq, East Timor, Afghanistan, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nobel prizes, current and previous US presidents, Bliar and a number of other areas. His views on the similarities and contrasts between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq were particularly interesting as well as his references to the current potential development of gas fields in the territorial waters off Gaza and how the Israeli government is attempting to steal the Gazan gas in league with British Gas and, he suspects, Tony Bliar (again, not a spelling mistake). The “Special Relationship” came in for some abuse and his description of Britain, and indeed other European powers, being lieutenants of the US rather than partners rang fairly true.

Chomsky seemed a little distracted at times during his time at the lectern, not helped by the arrival, four or five minutes in, of a signer for the deaf who walked in unannounced and stood within three feet of him facing the audience. Nor did the couple of photographers who were clicking away throughout the event help and a number of times I lost track of what he was saying because of these and other issues. I’m sure that delivering a lecture to over six hundred people wasn’t easy under these circumstances. Having said that, I would gladly have paid £40-£50 for my ticket and I was pleased to overhear someone say that Chomsky’s talk in Dublin was priced at €50 – I felt I got a bargain for my £13!

Following the lecture, William Crawley, a local radio journo, was brought out to interview the great man and did a mostly admirable job under difficult circumstances. He seemed to be a genuine Chomsky fan or he did his research rather well. Apart from mangling a few audience questions and not picking me to ask one, I enjoyed his involvement.

All things considered, a very enjoyable and interesting evening.

This is the third talk/lecture I’ve attended this year. So far, I’ve enjoyed listening to David Simon, writer and producer of The Wire, and Tony Curtis, actor, and next Saturday, James Ellroy, author,  is appearing in the Waterfront Hall. Good things happen to those who wait.