{"product_id":"what-a-bloody-awful-country-northern-irelands-century-of-division-9781785907593","title":"What a Bloody Awful Country: Northern Ireland's Century of Division","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"For God's sake, bring me a large Scotch. What a bloody awful country!\" Home Secretary Reginald Maudling, returning from his first visit to Northern Ireland in 1970 \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a long and bloody guerrilla war staggered to a close on the island of Ireland, Britain beat a retreat from all but a small portion of the country - and thus, in 1921, Northern Ireland was born. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThat partition, says Kevin Meagher, has been an unmitigated disaster for Nationalists and Unionists alike. Following the fraught history of British rule in Ireland, a better future was there for the taking but was lost amid political paralysis, while the resulting fifty years of devolution succeeded only in creating a brooding sectarian stalemate that exploded into the Troubles. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a stark but reasoned critique, Meagher traces the landmark events in Northern Ireland's century of existence, exploring the missed signals, the turning points, the principled decisions that should have been taken, as well as the raw realpolitik of how Northern Ireland has been governed over the past 100 years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThoughtful and sometimes provocative, \u003cem\u003eWhat a Bloody Awful Country \u003c\/em\u003ereflects on how both Loyalists and Republicans might have played their cards differently and, ultimately, how the actions of successive British governments have amounted to a masterclass in failed statecraft.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKevin Meagher \u003c\/strong\u003eis associate editor of the political blog, Labour Uncut and a former special advisor to Rt Hon. Shaun Woodward, the most recent Labour Northern Ireland Secretary. He works as a political and communications consultant and has written for a range of publications including the \u003cem\u003eNew Statesman \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Biteback Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50457129091346,"sku":"9781785907593","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f0848eac-ba6b-43dd-a88b-820533d1951c.jpg?v=1729921711","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/what-a-bloody-awful-country-northern-irelands-century-of-division-9781785907593","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}