As British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s right-hand man, former journalist and political analyst Alastair Campbell played a critical role in every aspect of New Labour strategy. Charting the course of British government from July 1994 to August 2003, Campbell’s relentlessly honest, often controversial, occasionally brutal, and always razor-sharp commentary has drawn critical acclaim from around the world. In The Irish Diaries (1994–2003), Campbell recalls the integral role Martin McGuinness played in the Northern Ireland peace process. Although the imposing character of McGuinness was ‘always sizing things up, with a smile that veered from charm to menace’, Campbell admits finding McGuinness ‘impressive’ as someone who ‘made a point and battered it, and forced you to take it on board.’ Campbell found…
