Belfast Newspaper publishes Opinion piece by Barrister Austen Morgan

'Election was followed by loose talk of nationalism winning' looks at a pivotal Northern Ireland election

This latest Opinion piece was featured in the Belfast News Letter on 17th March 2017.

The Opinion piece follows an earlier Opinion piece entitled 'A Constitutional Crisis with precedents from the past as well as fresh uncertainties', which looked into the sudden resignation of Martin McGuinness. 

These Opinion pieces follow on from Austen Morgan's recent book, 'Tony Blair and the IRA: The 'On the Runs' Scandal, published by The Belfast Press Limited. The book, published on 22 September 2016, looks behind why the John Downey trial at the Old Bailey in January/February 2014 collapsed. The book cover reads:

Tony Blair’s historical reputation as prime minister (1997-2007) is being shaped decisively by the recent Chilcot report on Iraq. However, the leader of new labour still clings to his legacy as a peace maker in Northern Ireland.

Austen Morgan’s new book – written after the collapse of the John Downey Old Bailey trial in February 2014 – asks: how did Tony Blair implement the Belfast agreement after 1998? The answer (avoided by Chilcot as regards the Iraq war) is: the prime minister, and his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, acted unlawfully in agreeing privately with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness that IRA members should benefit from effectively a secret amnesty.

The Belfast Press information sheet for the book, can be found here.   

Austen Morgan is a barrister at 33 Bedford Row Chambers. His website is available here.

The book is available at the Amazon Store.

Other books published by Austen Morgan include: (1) The Belfast Agreement - a practical legal analysis; and (2) The Hand of History? legal essays on the Belfast Agreement (London, 2011); and (3) James Connolly: A Political Biography.