On the way into the O2 arena in Belfast on Tuesday night one man, possibly reflecting the views of the majority of the 7,000 people who turned up to listen to former US president Barack Obama, hoped he would “tear into” the incumbent Donald J Trump.
But there would be no such headline. Obama was interviewed in Belfast by writer and journalist Susan McKay as part of a three-stop speaking engagement that also takes in Glasgow and Manchester. And while he touched on a number of subjects such as the Middle East, democracy, journalism and his regular theme of hope there would be no verbal assault on Trump.
Rather what criticism the audience heard was implicit and that was when he was talking about Israel and Palestine where that main hallmark of his political career, hope, largely was absent. He said the basic point was that seven million Jews in Israel and the seven million Palestinians in the region “aren’t going anywhere”.
People should be conscious that not everyone in Israel supported president Netanyahu. “The citizenry of Israel has to rethink, to reimagine,” Obama advised, “how are your children and grandchildren going to live in this region? Are you just going to be behind walls and wipe out everybody around you, or are you going to find some just way of defending yourself while still acting in an ethical, moral way?
“And conversely, the Palestinians are going to have to recognise we are not going to outkill, outweaponise the Israelis, which means that we have to look to other examples of how change comes about based on moral claims and ethical claims and ... nonviolent strategies, and that’s going to take some time.
“So I don’t want to offer any false hope here,” he added. “My immediate goal I would like to see right now would be simply relieving suffering, an actual end to violence, and my hope would be at the bare minimum to stop the current ongoing encroachment into the West Bank, alongside helping Gaza to rebuild.”
Here he was subtly critical of Trump. “And even that right now is going to take quite a lot of work, and frankly it will require a US government that is willing to engage in that creative work which may not be forthcoming for a while.”
And even if many in the O2 crowd were hoping for something more red-blooded in relation to Trump they all seemed well taken with Obama. Tickets for the event ranged in price from about £60 to a £1,000 for a VIP admission that involved a photograph with the former president, a seat in the first ten rows of the O2 arena and a copy of his book, A Promised Land.
Earlier in the day Obama received an honorary degree from Queen’s University Belfast. Speaking to university staff and students he said that the Belfast Agreement was “still a shining example of what can happen when people put aside old wounds and choose peace”.
And in what possibly could be construed as a careful dig at Trump he warned: “But as we have seen in many countries, including in my home country the United States, peace and democracy are not inevitable.”
In the O2 arena McKay noted that some people were disappointed he was not accompanied by his wife, Michelle. “Michelle is doing wonderfully and she sends her regards,” he said.
“And you promise you’ll bring her next time,” said McKay.
“I will promise to ask her to come next time. She calls the shots,” he replied.
In the O2 he stressed that democracy must “not be taken for granted”, while adding: “If we abdicate our role as citizens, somebody fills the void.” He referred to the importance of large institutions such as the United Nation and the European Union but also pointed to the need for reform. People, he said, “don’t want to feel as if there are five layers of bureaucracy before a decision is made”, adding “You have to deliver the goods.”
He spoke of the necessity for responsible journalism, saying: “If you look at why it is that democracies seem under attack, why things are so unstable, why everything is so polarised, if I had a sort of a blame pie and I wanted to figure out how big of a slice to allocate, a big piece would be people getting their news from social media.”
It was notable that there were many young people and children with their parents in the audience. Resuming his theme of hope he said he made a particular effort when speaking around the world to talk to young people.
“Nothing inspires me more than spending time with these young people. They’re way ahead of how I was or of where I was when I was their age. Anytime I’m feeling a little mopey and sad I spend some time with them, and that that raises me back up.”
He said: “I feel better with myself, I feel better for my daughters, I feel better for my friends and my neighbours and my community when I assert and insist the possibility that we can do better than we are doing right now.”
“Why not”, Obama offered when Susan McKay reminded him of Seamus Heaney’s epitaph “walk on air against your better judgment.”
“Yeah, let’s walk on air,” he said, concluding the night.