With Bob Geldof at the SageWow! What an afternoon it was at the Sage at Gateshead on Monday 8th January. Some of us here in Hartlepool had been lucky enough to obtain seats for the Honorary Degree ceremony of Newcastle University.
About seventeen of us arrived and found we had been given seats only three rows back from the stage and on the side the Academic Procession used, so that when it started we were only inches away from people like Gordon Brown and Bob Geldof. In fact we were so close that one of us, Bill White, was slapped on the back by Bob Geldof as he went past, presumably because Bill was wearing his Make Poverty History North East campaign t-shirt.
Five people were receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law and whilst the media concentrated on the two best known, we were really there to see David Golding receive his.
Bob Geldof wore a very smart suit, shirt and tie and a pair of suede boots that were the envy of many of our male members, but managed to look suitably raffish by the angle at which the academic hat- complete with feathers - was perched on his dishevelled hair.
The Public Orators spoke about the achievements of all the graduates and I found it particularly gratifying that in the details about David Golding that the Bible was quoted more than once with references to “the year of the Lord” and the Gospel of Luke to give the background to David’s work for Debt Relief and Poverty campaigns. Indeed in his speech, Gordon Brown quoted Isaiah, showing himself a true “son of the Manse”.
Susan George, a political economist, was one of the first to bring the relationship between International Debt and world poverty to the public notice in her writings and was honoured for her work, particularly in Europe.
His Excellency, Benjamin Mkapa, during his time as President of Tanzania showed what his country could do when much of its foreign debt was cancelled. It has come close to the Millenium Development Goal of universal primary education, and what’s more, free education. The Orator drew parallels with someone else when he spoke about the former president’s goal of “Education, education, education” and the fact that he had been in office for ten years and then resigned. Gordon Brown was seen to give a wry smile. Yes, our seats were that good!
The high point was however when the entire audience rose to its feet (all 1,700 of it) and the academic staff on the stage, to give David Golding a standing ovation as he received his honorary degree.
The ceremony was followed by a question and answer session with all the graduates except Gordon Brown, chaired by the Chancellor of the University, better known as Chris Patten. This was excellent; Bob Geldof spoke about what ordinary people can achieve. He stressed that only ten individual letters to a politician can make him or her act.
So get writing!
Chris Eddowes is an elder of St George's, Hartlepool, and writes a regular column for the Hartlepool Mail