Mary Robinson

For me, the highlight of this year's Festival of Literature, so far, has been Christopher Cook's riveting interview on Saturday with Mary Robinson. This took place in the vast Forum marquee, set up in Montpellier Gardens. Sitting at the very back, I wasn't well placed to catch a photograph. Coming home, though, I found this one of her: I took it after hearing her address a conference I was attending in Belfast while she was still President of Ireland.

With inevitably more lines to her face than 17 years ago, she still inspires in me the same warm admiration I felt after that speech. Whereas Peter Hennessy (the day previously) made recent history seem trivial, Robinson revealed through her thoughtful, often humble, answers to questions a total involvement with the burning issues of the past quarter century: the notes I made show as much.

"We have to make the world fairer... I was taught to believe, not to question... Why, I asked myself, is there so much emphasis on form rather than substance?... It's the distortion of religion that divides us... Admitting your mistakes is sometimes not a bad idea... The United States dipped its human rights standards after 9/11: the war on terrorism [sic] skewed the agenda, political opponents being characterised as terrorists... The rise in anti-Americanism is due to a perception that America operates upon double standards... Climate justice energises me: I wake up every morning with a sense of urgency and passion."

"Is it true," our celebrated guest was asked finally, "that you dance?" "Yes," came the smiling reply: "You bond with people when you dance with them: you dance with your eyes."

Mary Robinson - a prime candidate, I'd say, for the Nobel Peace Prize - and/or being made a Cardinal!

Fly past?

Hurrah on one plane (sic) for Mary Robinson, returning to her native Ireland after working in New York for many years, in order to fight for climate justice. "The failure to get agreement in Copenhagen," she's reported as saying, "has put the whole world more at risk." But after Copenhagen, she thinks, governments aren't the way to go, if they ever were. The answer, for her, is "civil society". "I feel a terrible sense of urgency."

But sharing this awareness, will civilians ever think of flying - for instance - as an activity that we used to engage in - as opposed to one we hope and expect for more of? It's only possible to determine the answer to this for yourself: apart from our love miles to Japan and back last Autumn, it's more than forty months now since I flew anywhere, and indeed I am making no plans to fly again. But it's easy for me to resolve this, having travelled much, and to many different parts of the world in my 66 years. And I'm able (just about) to pay the premium required for rail travel when I go to Europe, as later this month.

King Canute came to mind after my chat with our nice postman yesterday morning: an avid Manchester United fan and season ticket holder, he was mulling over the possibilities for a new - for him - travel experience arising out of the coming Champions League draw. "Lyon would be nice," he said, "or Bordeaux: I don't much fancy Moscow" - but you can bet this wasn't on account of the air miles.