This chapter will analyse the politics of memoir-writing by British government ministers during the 1970s and up to the present, in particular examining the ways in which British Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland (SOSNI) have used their published memoirs to interpret and reflect upon their period in office, and their perceptions of the Troubles. The chapter will argue that for the majority of SOSNI incumbents, Northern Ireland and its politico-military problems tended not to be central to their political identities, and for many of them the experience of being responsible for the governance of, and policy-making in, Northern Ireland was deeply unsatisfactory. At times, a sense of regret and futility pervades these accounts; many admit to a sense of uncertainty or even bewilderment at the outset, with most SOSNI being largely unschooled in the complexities of political life in Northern Ireland before taking up their posts. The memoirs reflect a steep ‘learning curve’, but very often accompanied by a strong desire to make progress with regard to the constitutional reform process, and the search for stable power-sharing devolution, the consistent though elusive goal of UK government policy.

In the absence of significant progress on the core constitutional dispute, many SOSNI express feelings of weariness and frustration at the end of their period in office. Analysis of the memoirs reveals that there was often a gulf between the perceptions of the incumbents, and both the local Northern Ireland politicians and the members of the Westminster cabinet. The chapter will concentrate upon the memoirs of the following SOSNI from the period of the Troubles: William Whitelaw (1972–3); Merlyn Rees (1974–6); Roy Mason (1976–9); James Prior (1981–3); Douglas Hurd (1983–5). In partial contrast, the memoirs of SOSNI from the period of the ‘peace process’ will also be investigated, in order to compare the significant differences between these periods: Mo Mowlam (1997–9), Peter Mandelson (1999–2001) and Peter Hain (2005–7) have also published accounts of their time in Northern Ireland. In addition, this chapter will include some analysis and discussion of other British politicians who, whilst not serving as SOSNI, nonetheless played important roles in the UK government's response to the conflict, and who have published memoirs that deal explicitly with their contribution:…