Product Description

In the final part of his trilogy exploring 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland, Peter Taylor talks to undercover agents of the British state and reveals for the first time the hidden secrets of the war they waged against the IRA for thirty years. PROVOS and LOYALISTS told the story of the conflict from the point of view of the Republicans and Loyalists; now the story, with all its tragic twists and turns, is told from the British perspective. For the first time, undercover soldiers, Special Branch officers and a top MI6 agent step out of the shadows and, along with the Whitehall mandarins who helped shape policy from Westminster, tell their stories.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112730 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A huge amount has been written about Northern Ireland and its troubles, but Brits is a valuable addition to the field, coming as it does from a reporter who has devoted to it so much of his working life. Peter Taylor, who has produced many fine BBC documentaries and a series of books on this difficult subject here details the more controversial incidents in the record of the security and intelligence agencies.

It has been a long and controversial record, with opinion still differing on whether the security forces could have dealt more effectively with groups such as the IRA. Bloody Sunday is here, and Gibraltar, and Loughgall and all the rest. Some incidents rocked the IRA to its foundations, such as the loss of seven of its men at Loughgall. Others, such as the SAS killings of three unarmed IRA members at Gibraltar, and the deaths of the 1981 hunger strikers, added potent new icons to the IRA's gallery of martyrs.

Taylor does a particular service by recording the observations of Michael Oatley, the MI6 man who established ultra-secret channels of communication with the IRA. Oatley's impression of Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness is fascinating:

I was considerably impressed by his intelligence and firmness of manner. It was rather like talking to a middle-ranking army officer in one of the tougher regiments like the Paras or the SAS.

Taylor is also good on the murkier side of intelligence operations, especially the penetration of loyalist assassination groups by security agents. Some of these, particularly Brian Nelson, rose to senior positions. This raises the question of whether elements in military intelligence aimed to break these organisations or, in some instances, sought to surreptitiously direct them against republican targets. Taylor sums this up with the judgement that the Nelson case raised disturbing questions about how far up the intelligence chain collusion between loyalists and the military went.--David McKittrick

Will Self, Independent on Sunday
'Taylor's series can be seen as the most comprehensive and important televisual record of the Troubles to date.'

Chris Dunkley, Financial Times
'As a means of understanding what has been going on in Ulster for the past thirty-two years, nothing better than these programmes has ever been made.'

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Customer Reviews

reads like tabloid history, classic stuff.......
Identical in style both to Provos and Loyalists, Taylor has written a balanced and journalistic account of British Intelligence and Government policy; their soldiers and its politicians struggle against violent republicanism since the start of the current troubles.
Factual, frank accounts from mouths involved in some of the most secret operations and heinous crimes of the last 30 years merge well with an analysis of cause and effect which would do an emeritus historian proud.
If you enjoyed his two previous offerings in this genre, you'll love this. If you haven't read much about it and are looking for a highly readable jaunt in the mire of contemporary Irish politics, Taylor is most definitely your man.
Golden.

A gripping insight of the British view of the Irish Question
Once again Peter Taylor has proved to be a master at portraying complex issues at the heart of the Irish Question in manner which is clear, concise and even handed and yet holds the readers attention like a classic thriller. If you, like so many of the British politicians Taylor describes, are unaware of the depth and complexities of the problems in Northern Ireland, this will be a valuable introduction to the British and Irish mindsets. For everyone else it will be an essential reference book.

A fine end to the trilogy
Peter Taylor's three books on the Northern Irish Troubles, "Provos", "Loyalists" and now "Brits", are must-reads for anyone wanting to understand what it's all about. Taylor never minces words about the enormity of some of the deeds committed, but he is also scrupulously fair, seeking to understand the motivations behind the players. As someone born and raised in Belfast, I found these books an eye-opener, and I found myself having to re-examine old attitudes and prejudices. Highly recommended.