In light of how high the human and political stakes were , it is unsurprising to discover that Operation Chiffon is a compelling, exhilarating historical account. A significant journalistic “scoop” for the author, it is also an authoritative, scholarly, insightful and balanced treatment of one of the most extraordinary intelligence cases of modern times. Setting the operation and its antecedents in their proper historical context, Taylor supplies his readership with a kaleidoscope of detail, vignettes and personal recollections pertaining to the epoch in question. David Hoey: It would be an act of incredible foolishness for DUP to accept any ‘promise’ of legislation on the Union from this Conservative government Despite its simplicity, there was always the risk of misunderstandings. Duddy, concludes Taylor, “was occasionally prone to a degree of exaggeration”. At key moments, it was unclear whether McGuinness was speaking with the authority of the IRA’s decision-making body, the army council. The Irish have an old saying that “When the big man falls in battle, the fight rarely continue s.” As the IRA was never defeated militarily, it is perhaps unsurprising that the peace and stability of Northern Ireland are still threatened by dissident republicans determined to achieve a united Ireland through force of arms. Pivotal to the story of Operation Chiffon was the promise “Robert” made to the IRA’s high command: “The final solution [to your ‘armed struggle’] is union. It is going to happen anyway. The historical train — Europe — determines that. We are committed to Europe. Unionists will have to change. This island will be as one. ” Ireland is still divided , and Brexit derailed the “historical train” of European integration with the UK, ensuring that the Belfast Agreement can be viewed, twenty-five years on, not as a denouement to “the Trouble s” , but rather as a crucial punctuation mark in the history of contemporary Ireland. On the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Peter Taylor tells for the first time the gripping story of Operation Chiffon, the top-secret intelligence operation that helped bring peace to Ireland.

Robert later wrote to the journalist after the deaths of Martin McGuinness and Brendan Duddy to admit his role. Explaining why he agreed to take part in the new documentary, he said: “I’d like what I did to be remembered.” The MI5 spy tells Taylor the goal was ultimately to unify Ireland. The exact words were noted by Mr Kelly, with Robert saying: “The final solution is union. It is going to happen anyway. The historical train, Europe, determines that. Unionists will have to change. This island will be as one.” By that time, however, McGuinness had passed a historic message to Robert, via Duddy, in which he said: “The conflict is over, but we need your advice on how to bring it to a close.” Award-winning BBC journalist Peter Taylor reveals the extraordinary story of how a former undercover MI5 officer put his life and career on the line to encourage the IRA to end its violent campaign and embrace politics. Operation Chiffon, as the communications came to be known on the British side, also chronicles the extraordinary risks that the go-betweens sometimes took, and the ways in which they frequently redoubled their efforts to achieve peace through dialogue at those times when the carnage was at its most unspeakable and their chances of success seemed most remote.

It was by then well known that in 1972 the British government had flown a group of IRA leaders, including Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, to London for talks with the then Northern Ireland secretary William Whitelaw. Now the Observer was reporting that the latest talks had been in progress “for many months”. Royal Mail industrial action taking place in 2023 may have an impact on delivery times to all destinations both within the UK and internationally. These delays are out of our control.

For their part, the British, while stressing that there could be no withdrawal without the consent of the majority of people in Northern Ireland, would use deliberately vague language. They told the IRA that they were prepared to discuss “structures of disengagement”, for example, while withholding their reservations about the century in which they believed that might happen. Nobody could foresee that 23 years later the train would hit the buffers of Brexit Logan Roy himself – Brian Cox – joins Ross this weekend. Also in the studio: Murder Mystery 2 stars Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, Taskmaster’s Greg Davies, Ruth Wilson (set to star in the Young Vic’s 24-hour show The Second Woman) and Mercury prize winner Arlo Parks. HR Film choiceIn one of the longest interviews he ever gave, the Friends actor confided that he was ‘a dark soul’ who dreamed of meeting the right woman and starting a family Premiership Rugby Union: Saracens v Harlequins, 2.30pm, ITV1/BT Sport 1 At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. London Irish v Northampton Saints is at 5.15pm on BT Sport 1. Big Night of Musicals 2023 By the National Lottery Big Night of Musicals 2023 by the National Lottery 7.50pm, BBC One Usual UK delivery timescale (excluding custom prints) is between 5 and 7 working days from the date of dispatch. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. For custom print delivery pricing and timescales see below.

Gerry Kelly also takes part in the documentary, saying that the MI5 spy “did the right thing” by defying his bosses and meeting the IRA in the wake of the Warrington atrocity. Operation Chiffon is a compelling, exhilarating historical account. A significant journalistic “scoop” for the author, it is also an authoritative, scholarly, insightful and balanced treatment of one of the most extraordinary intelligence cases of modern times … Taylor is a master at juxtaposing scenes … It is these small but significant details that not only draw in Taylor's audience but ultimately bring to life his magnum opus The same year Sinn Fein published minutes of the meeting, compiled by Mr Kelly, which revealed the spy said: “The final solution is union… this island will be as one.” Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin’s chief negotiator in the Northern Ireland peace process, in 1998. Photograph: Gerry Penny/AFP/Getty ImagesAmbiguous phrases were very much the currency we were involved with,” one of the MI6 officers, Michael Oatley, tells Taylor. The point, he adds, was to encourage the IRA to believe that its aspiration of a united Ireland might be possible through peaceful means and that the British government could help.