The Irish Diaries: (1994-2003)

The four volumes of spokesman and strategist Alastair Campbell’s diaries were a publishing sensation. As British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s right-hand man, former journalist and political analyst Campbell played a critical role in every aspect of New Labour strategy. Charting the course of British government from July 1994 to August 2003, Campbell¹s relentlessly honest, often controversial, occasionally brutal, and always razor-sharp commentary has drawn critical acclaim from around the world. This newly edited one-volume edition focuses on one of the Blair government’s biggest successes, the Northern Ireland peace process. From the high of the Good Friday agreement and devolution in Northern Ireland, to the deadly lows of the Manchester and Omagh bombings, The Irish Diaries explores the tensions, all-night talks, adrenalin-fuelled negotiations and heady personality clashes that are such an intrinsic part of democratic politics. Newly annotated and fully revised by Campbell and featuring commissioned material by key figures in the Irish peace process such as former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern,Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell himself, The Irish Diaries is invaluable for readers with an interest in Irish history.