Out of the shadows
New Zealand Listener|June 3-9 2023
How two spooks and a chip shop owner helped broker peace in Northern Ireland.
CATHY O’SULLIVAN
Out of the shadows

OPERATION CHIFFON: The Secret Story of MI5 and MI6 and the Road to Peace in Ireland, by Peter Taylor (Bloomsbury, $38.99), is out now in ebook and audiobook, and in print on August 1.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely brought peace to Northern Ireland. The story of how that historic agreement came to fruition, though, is as complex and astonishing as the conflict itself. In Operation Chiffon, veteran author and documentary maker Peter Taylor offers a fascinating account of the figures in the shadows from MI5 and MI6, the UK's intelligence agencies, and their backchannel dealings over many decades with those connected with the IRA to broker a peaceful resolution.

Taylor's first experience of Northern Ireland came at the age of 29 when he was sent to report on the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, in which 26 unarmed civilians were shot by British soldiers during a protest march in Derry. Thirteen of them died. Like many British people, Taylor admits he was ignorant of much of what was happening in Northern Ireland before that assignment and was reporting for an audience that did not really care.

For decades, working for British television, he was a witness to "the Troubles" - a conflict that left more than 3600 people dead and thousands more injured by paramilitaries and the security forces - and the subsequent peace. He recounts the events that marked the period and the growth in anti-Irish sentiment in Britain as the IRA took its campaign of violence to major English cities in retaliation for the British forces and unionist paramilitaries' treatment of Irish nationalists.

Denne historien er fra June 3-9 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra June 3-9 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA NEW ZEALAND LISTENERSe alt
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024