DID AN ARMY OF SPIES END THE TROUBLES?

Blair, Clinton, Ahern et al were credited with putting together the Northern Ireland peace deal, but 800 British agents also played their part

Henry Hemming

THE TWO MOST BORING WORDS IN THE ENGlish language? For a time, the answer from almost every news editor in London was “Northern Ireland”. Then came the Belfast Agreement, signed 26 years ago on Good Friday, 1998. Three decades of deadlock had come to an end. The unlikeliest combination of political actors, and it’s worth listing them — the Irish and British governments, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Ulster Unionist Party, Progressive Unionist Party, Ulster Democratic Party, Alliance Party, Labour Coalition and the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition — had somehow reached an understanding. Only hours after it was reported that the negotiations in Stormont were close to collapse, the parties had agreed to a permanent ceasefire, the release of paramilitaries from jail, changes to the Irish Republic’s constitution and, most…

You're reading a preview of

The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2024

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.