Decades of Deceit by Paddy Hillyard

Estate agents and informants murdered with impunity during the conflict in Northern Ireland- the outcome of a secret and illegal strategy introduced by Mi5 in 1981. John Stalker uncovered key elements of the strategy during an official inquiry into three shoot-to-kill incidents in the 1980s. He was removed from the inquiry before it was completed. A political conspiracy was denied.. but why we're such extreme steps taken by the Greater Manchester Police to discredit its own deputy chief constable through his friendship with Kevin Taylor, a property developer and chair of the Manchester Conservative Association?

Using new sources, Paddy Hillyard reveals how the Stalker affair continues to shape present-day events. The thread that links them - including the murder of Belfast Solicitor Pat Finucane by two estate agents - is Mi5's intelligence-led counter-insurgency strategy. hillyard's forensic account concludes with the Legacy Act 2023 which, he argues, effectively abolished the rule of law for the period of the conflict and closes down truth and justice for the families of the victims in Britain's 'dirty war' in Northern Ireland. By showing how governments and state agencies have been undermining the rule of law over many years, the book is a vital contribution to the defence of human rights and international law as they come under increasing attack.