i'm also developing a book proposal to look at leadership in the ira and shin fein throughout the 30 years of the conflict. there were some fantastic canonical studies or an overviews of the troubles. there are some excellent themed works on the troubles. i've been reading one at the moment, thomas lee his book on the intelligence war throughout the conflict, but there's no study of leadership in that period, and because i think it's so critical to the... transformation of the conflict, it feels like a really rich theme to explore. i'm also working on another couple of novels that one in particular, i want to revert back to looking at how the troubles impacted in the united kingdom. there's a case it's pretty much forgotten now of guy called kenneth lennon who was a special branch tout and informant giving information in 1974, it had got too much for him, he was having a bit of a breakdown and starting to tell people, which i think, and next thing he's... his poor dead body was found in a lane near gatwick airport in 1974 and you think well obviously the ira caught out with him, he w

from right then they were arguing for electoral participation, which again we see with the ira and shin fein, you have to wait until 1986 and the decision to contest elections in the republican to take seats if elected, so it's not as though it didn't have an interesting political proposition to make the irsp, but costello had cut his teeth in that failed campaign of 56 to 62 and then seen gulding's. leadership afterwards, and one of the things that it seems to me at frustrated him was precisely that any operatives, any volunteers had to be answerable to that political leadership, and this was a hindrance on getting anything done, so he gave his arm wing, the inla lot more autonomy so that they could actually act on operations, but that's taking a big risk, because that's a tactic, the operational, but if it's not overseen by the strategic, it just becomes diffuse and contradictory, and people might pursue personal. grievances or people might pursue self-aggrandizement or even self-enrichment, so if those operatives aren't linked to a strategy, where how are you going to achieve your aim? so

the troubles is really really interesting in that regard, because if we look at what the ira and shin fein did over that period was to take a paramilitary body and to transform it into a political party, and to achieve that transformation while maintaining the coherence and solidity of the organization is really remarkable, because if we look at the history of irish republicanism, it has been prone to splits, it's the brendon bean joke, you put three republicans in room and the first item on the agenda is the split, but if we look at what shin fain accomplished over the course of the troubles. i mean, that's extraordinary to affect that transformation while maintaining organizational coherence, and one i'm finding it very interesting to write about it, i mean a most recent academic article in small worlds and insurgencies is called was jerry attons a transformational leader, and i think even more importantly, if we look at what the... organization did and and look at that and academically, we can start to draw truths that we can then say, well what can we learn from how leadership was and

right then they were arguing for electoral part. participation, which again we see with the ira and shin fein, you have to wait until 1986 and the decision to contest elections in the republic and to take seats if elected, so it's not as though it didn't have an interesting political proposition to make the irsp, but costello had cut his teeth in that failed campaign of 56 to 62 and then seen gulding's leadership afterwards, and one of the things that it seems to me at frustrated him was precisely that any operatives any volunteers had to be answerable to that political leadership and "this was a hindrance on getting anything done, so he gave his arm wing, the inla, lot more autonomy so that they could actually act on operations, but that's taking a big risk, because that's a tactic, the operational, but if it's not overseen by the strategic, it just becomes diffuse and contradictory, and people might pursue personal grievances or people might pursue self-aggrandizement or even self-enrichment, so if those operatives aren't linked to a strategy, how you going to..." achieve your aim, so i und