KILLING THATCHER: The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown

Our Wild Card this month is a gripping non-fiction historical narrative about the audacious attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher during the Conservative party conference held in Brighton in October 1984. Guardian journalist Rory Carroll gives a fascinating visualisation into the minds and thinking of all sides, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), the personality of Maggie Thatcher and her government and those involved in the subsequent police manhunt. This all makes for an insightful and riveting thriller read.

Carroll divides his research into three parts, the genesis of a plot, the countdown to the explosion and lastly the long manhunt for the culprits all of which he derived from memoirs, eyewitnesses, police reports and court records. He tells the story through the perspective of various individuals central to this monumental event revolving around Patrick Magee who planted the bomb. Carroll seeks to shed light on why someone of Irish descent, yet who grew up in England, chose to take this infamous path.

The Troubles had been part of life in Northern Ireland and to a different extent, in the UK for several years before the Brighton bombing of 1984. Carroll reminds us of the shocking murder of Louis Mountbatten, the lingering hunger strikes, through to the various IRA atrocities before focusing on the specific build up and behind the scenes work leading up to Magee planting a timed bomb in Room 629 of the Grand Hotel on Brighton’s seafront set to explode on October 12th 1984. Carroll examines the specific circumstances surrounding the explosion, the element of chance involved and the meticulous preparation both sides undertook for their cause, whether that be destroying the government of the day or hunting down the perpetrators. The book reads like a thriller, and for those who remember the Brighton bombing, it not only reminds us of those iconic moments, such as Norman Tebbit being pulled out of the rubble on live TV, but enlightens us to the lesser known facts and long-term consequences of those caught up in the bomb.

The Grand was an iconic landmark hotel in Brighton and a timeless representation of the British monarchy, in which royal portraits adorned the walls and various leaders and celebrities chose to stay here. Magee and the IRA believed that if they could bring down Thatcher, they would be victorious in bringing down British imperialism and uniting Ireland. Whilst the IRA may have committed a crime no one thought possible, it gave Thatcher the golden opportunity to show her resolve and “carry on” - she refused to cancel the party’s conference and went ahead with her speech. It helped Thatcher win an unprecedented third term in office. Yet it did change Thatcher. Carroll believes she forever felt guilty towards those whose lost their lives and in particular the impact it had on her closest friend and colleague Norman Tebbit and his wife Margaret who was paralysed in the bomb. He also believes it led to a certain degree of paranoia which affected her judgement, some of which would result in long-term policy changes. An interesting and thought provoking true crime/political/historical/factual read for this month.