The Last Post

Matt Cooper: Good Friday production a cast of saints and sinners

Opinion is divided on many of the central characters involved in negotiating the historic Belfast settlement, partly by their actions – good or bad – in the intervening period

Bill Clinton and John Hume. Clinton brought a combination of suave and steel to the negotiation table while Hume made some seemingly risky but inspired choices

There’s a lot being said about history this weekend, with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement getting the full historic hyperbole in a way that didn’t seem to apply for the 20th anniversary.

In the spirit of history, just how do we assess or judge the careers and contributions of the central people in those negotiations and that settlement of 25 years ago? How much of those assessments is defined solely by what ...