Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
A Blog About Human Rights
UN human rights chief calls for priority action ahead of climate summit Sat Oct 30, 2021 17:18 | Human Rights
5 Year Anniversary Of Kem Ley?s Death Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:34 | Human Rights
Poor Living Conditions for Migrants in Southern Italy Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:14 | Human Rights
Right to Water Mon Aug 03, 2020 19:13 | Human Rights
Human Rights Fri Mar 20, 2020 16:33 | Human Rights Human Rights in Ireland >>
Cambridge Students Sing Genocidal Chant at Their Encampment Tue May 07, 2024 15:00 | Richard Eldred Shameful scenes of pro-Palestine supporters chanting the genocidal slogan 'From the river to the sea' and inciting an 'intifada' have sprung up at universities across the country.
The post Cambridge Students Sing Genocidal Chant at Their Encampment appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Trinity College, Cambridge Has Been Captured by an Uncritical, Average Civil-Service, New-Liberal, C... Tue May 07, 2024 13:00 | James Alexander Alumnus James Alexander bemoans the once glorious and eccentric legacy of Trinity College, Cambridge, now sinking into a state of soggy decline.
The post Trinity College, Cambridge Has Been Captured by an Uncritical, Average Civil-Service, New-Liberal, Corporate-Agreeable, Globalist Sect appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme to Be Reviewed as Claims Soar Tue May 07, 2024 11:00 | Will Jones The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, which helps those left disabled after having a vaccine and families of those who died, is to be reviewed after a massive rise in claims following the Covid jab rollout.
The post Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme to Be Reviewed as Claims Soar appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Majority Are ?Vaccine Hesitant?, Survey Finds Tue May 07, 2024 09:00 | Dr Maggie Cooper Nearly two thirds of the French population agree that the long-term effects of mRNA vaccines are unknown and over two-thirds don't agree that mRNA vaccines would be useful in another pandemic, a survey has found.
The post Majority Are ‘Vaccine Hesitant’, Survey Finds appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
In a Surprise to No One, Ghanaian King Says He?d Like to Keep the Golden Relics Loaned to Him by the... Tue May 07, 2024 07:00 | Mike Wells In a surprise to no one, the King of Asante in Ghana says he'd like to keep the golden relics loaned to him by the British Museum. Looks like they're going the same way as the Benin bronzes, says Mike Wells.
The post In a Surprise to No One, Ghanaian King Says He’d Like to Keep the Golden Relics Loaned to Him by the British Museum appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
The October 7 narrative contradicted by history, by Thierry Meyssan Tue May 07, 2024 06:59 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°85 Fri May 03, 2024 14:25 | en
The Kastner case resurfaces Fri May 03, 2024 14:06 | en
Non-Semite (sic) Khazar Netanyahu calls US anti-genocidal academics "anti-Semite... Fri May 03, 2024 07:13 | en
Paris 2024 and Berlin 1936 in the service of an impossible imperial dream, by Th... Tue Apr 30, 2024 07:07 | en Voltaire Network >>
|
Noam Chomsky in Dublin: a youth perspective
national |
miscellaneous |
other press
Tuesday November 24, 2009 16:35 by Kenny G
A review from young competition winner
Thanks to the SpunOut.ie team, myself and a friend found ourselves with a once in a lifetime opportunity. We had won a competition to see Noam Chomsky speak.
The night to see Chomsky came and we were not sure what to expect, having only Chomsky’s Youtube broadcasts as a rough guide. As soon as he begun speaking though, our imaginations started firing. We listened to a man who spoke about what our hearts had told us, but what the world around us had convinced us not to believe. Professor Noam Chomsky is arguably the finest linguist in existence. He is also an outspoken writer, speaker and activist on political issues that touch people worldwide. He is highly critical of US foreign policy and is an advocate of grassroots movements. He has also spoken out about the (mis)use of power, with power held being illegitimate unless justified. As he spoke to the audience, I was struck at his lack of theatrical quality. His powerful presence was not due to a booming voice and plenty of hand gestures; he simply kept my attention by the quality of what he was actually saying, and the simplicity with which he said it.
Throughout the talk, he kept things relevant to the country in which he was speaking, illustrating an understanding of the fall of the Celtic Tiger and the problems with Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement. He emphasised the importance of grassroots action as a tool for change, keeping the atmosphere alive with positive examples of where grassroots action really did make a difference. I found his criticism of President Obama’s office intriguing, as he made a number of points on recent decisions that were scarcely focused on in worldwide media. He hammered home his opposition to the war in Iraq, pointing out that the Obama administration has created the biggest military budget in history.
I often find political speakers, well, actually hard to listen to, so intent are they on subscribing to and promoting a particular type of political dogma with disdain for those who “don’t get it”. I am used to political speakers having a solemn band of loyal supporters in the audience wildly cheering when they hear a point they like. Chomsky encourages none of this fervour! Different types of political thinking inspire his opinions and he prevents doom and gloom by giving lighthearted humour throughout his lectures. He finished this lecture on a positive note, by saying that we can all be agents of change.
I left the RDS reflecting on my own views of the world in which I live. Noam Chomsky confirmed my niggling thought that Ireland is in need of grassroots change. Not the kind that focuses on local communities congregating inside the Irish bastions of power: the church, the schools and the pub; but, the kind that poses a direct threat to the ‘greed is good’ mantra of the now gone Celtic Tiger.
I would someday like to see an Ireland committed to goals of inclusion, justice served to all, first class healthcare, equal opportunities, and the abolition of social problems caused by poverty that the Celtic Tiger ignored. With grassroots action, Noam Chomsky convinced me that these dreams could become a reality.
By: Annette Carter
|