A Tragedy of Errors: The Government and Misgovernment of Northern Ireland [Hardcover]

Kenneth Bloomfield was directly involved in the government of Northern Ireland for decades, rising to be the highest-ranking career civil servant in the province. He wrote many of the speeches given by Northern Ireland ministers, and participated in many meetings involving British, Northern Irish, and Republic of Ireland officials. Though he did not have a high political profile, he was very much an insider with access to privileged information. He drew on that long experience in writing this book, which is rich both in facts and in the author's often blunt personal opinions about the way things were done. His book focuses on politics rather than on violence.

Bloomfield's principal target for criticism is the government of the United Kingdom. While he praises some British ministers and officials for doing their work well, he repeatedly points to examples of inconsistent and inattentive behavior by others, citing examples of poorly informed decisions.

Though English by parentage, Bloomfield shows considerable sympathy for many Unionists (those who wish strongly to keep the province in the United Kingdom). He gives particular praise to former provincial prime minister Brian Faulkner, who he believes did not receive the support from London that he needed to make the power-sharing executive work. He seems hurt that the British Government has not treated Northern Ireland's Unionists better. "It is possible," he writes, "as a resident of Northern Ireland hitherto always glad and proud to be a citizen of the United Kingdom, to feel at times like a party to a marriage whose partner no longer feels or shows any real affection, but who maintains an increasingly cool relationship out of a sense of loyalty."

Bloomfield recognizes the ability of John Hume, long the leader of the Social Democratic and Labor Party that favored peaceful union with the Republic of Ireland. In his view, Hume was the most important driving force in the positions taken by the Irish republic in discussions about the future of the province. Yet Bloomfield clearly was uneasy about Hume's intentions.

Bloomfield is harsher in dealing with Sinn Fein leaders, particularly Gerry Adams. While recognizing their ability, he returns several times to the connections between Sinn Fein and Irish republican paramilitaries who committed gruesome acts. He condemns both the IRA and loyalist paramilitary groups for their violence and thuggery.

At the time this book was written, political polarization within Northern Ireland had worsened, as symbolized by the success of Sinn Fein on the republican side and Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist party on the unionist side. Faced with this polarization, Bloomfield concludes on a despairing note, foreseeing little hope for successful power-sharing.

The many insights Bloomfield has to offer could be valuable to serious students of Northern Ireland politics and government. Unfortunately, the author did not organize the book chronologically. As a result, he frequently backtracks with phrases like "as I said earlier." His organizational scheme results in many duplications that could have been avoided by strict adherence to a chronology. His last chapter, which might have drawn together these many threads, is marred by expressions of personal pique. This is unfortunate, as Bloomfield might have given us new ways of looking at this difficult problem, though one that might not appeal to strong supporters of a United Ireland.