Thatcher’s Spy: My Life as an MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin

by Willie Carlin

Early one morning in March 1985, as he climbed the six steps of Margaret Thatcher’s prime-ministerial jet on the runway of RAF Aldergrove, little did Willie Carlin know the role Freddie Scappaticci played in saving his life.

So began the dramatic extraction of Margaret Thatcher’s key undercover agent in Sinn Féin – Willie Carlin, aka Agent 3007. For 11 years the former British soldier worked alongside former IRA commander Martin McGuinness in the republican movement’s political wing in Derry. He was MI5’s man at McGuinness’ side and gave the British State unprecedented insight into the IRA leader’s strategic thinking. Carlin worked with McGuinness to develop Sinn Féin’s election strategy after the 1981 hunger strike, and the MI5 and later FRU agent’s reports on McGuinness, Adams and other republicans were read by the British Cabinet, including Margaret Thatcher herself.

When Carlin’s cover was blown in mid-1985 thanks to one of his old MI5 handlers being jailed as a Soviet spy, Thatcher authorised the use of her jet to whisk him to safety. Incredibly, it was another British ‘super spy’ inside the IRA’s secretive counter-intelligence unit, the ‘nuttin’ squad’, who saved Carlin’s life. The Derry man is perhaps the only person alive thanks to the information provided by the ‘jewel in the crown’ of British military intelligence – Freddie Scappaticci, aka Stakeknife.

In Thatcher’s Spy, the Cold War meets Northern Ireland’s Dirty War in the remarkable real-life story of a deep under-cover British intelligence agent, a man now doomed forever to look over his shoulder. . .

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Irish Literature, Espionage, Politics, Biography, Memoir

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2019

Reviews

[Diolún Ó hUigínn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to put down and entertaining.

You’d wonder why, as a man from Derry who heard about British soldiers killing unarmed protestors, children, unarmed civilians and even his relatives and schoolmates in the early 70s he would go on to then work for them against his neighbors.

Some of the claims seem questionable. So many of the people spoken about are now dead so unable to counter the claims. I’d take a lot of this with a grain of salt.

Well written and a great story. Wouldn’t believe everything in it.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely sure of the writer's character. He seems too in love with the idea of Margaret Thatcher's involvement and supposed interest in him, and is prone to moments of self-aggrandizement comparing himself with James Bond and a superhero.

Still, this is an interesting glance behind the scenes of Sinn Fein and life in Derry in the 70s & 80s. It is such an interesting time and here on the island of Britain, we'll never fully appreciate what it was like to live in this most difficult of times and places.

All in all, an interesting read.

[James Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, with fantastic structure and gripping detail throughout. Slow reader but couldn’t put this one down! Highly recommend!

[Chasquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A paperback without any blurbs? No famous boosters in the bleachers egging on Willie Carlin to spill more beans about our cousins across the water and the troubles they had with us, each other and the historical pattern of violence and cruelty? Read it in 24 hours, having just tested positive for Covid 19. I was deeply moved, but had it been presented as fiction, I would have enjoyed it even more because the straightforward depiction of the horrors of cot death, kneecappings and the routine brutality of our 'Special Forces' make one a spectator to wrongs that may never be righted in Ireland, or anywhere else. Stella Rimmington is mentioned, I read one of her novels and I can hardly remember a thing about it. She must have been a hypnotist, like the boy McKinnon who went back to his old school in his 30's. Mick Herron has set the bar high when it comes to wringing comedy out of spy antics, that's for sure. Ian Fleming was never funny, sexy yes, exciting sometimes, but never funny.
Willie Carlin can go to his rest having done his best, a brave man who has managed to do the impossible and make us laugh in the face of both adversity and middle management.

[Zoë Routh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing look at a terrifying time in Irish-British history. How does a spy manage to divide his life so duplicitously? Building relationships with folks he is betraying? That kind of emotional intelligence double play is scary.

I learned a lot about the time period and the social political tensions.

A good audiobook experience.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I don't read non-fiction! OK, maybe I do to an extent. Another solid novel where the story reads like fiction. Of course in this case it helps that the events took place in Ireland, a country of which I have a strong affinity for :)

Very interesting to hear from someone who has lived as a mole for 12+ years especially given the scope of the conflict and the number of different issues involved. If I ever had the opportunity to meet Willie I would be curious as to what drove him to do it. It is obvious that he does not hate the Irish and equally obvious that he would not sell himself to the crown given any circumstances. So, why did he risk his life and that of his family to do it? I think part of the motivation was a belief that he could be intregal in terms of stopping the conflict. However, there are other ways to have gone about it.

Overall it is a solid read. My one complaint would be to say that at times the story seemed to be a stream of consciouness that I envisioned the editor having to reel Willie back from on numerous occassions. However, this is a minor complaint as the events were too good to not be told. Willie does a great job of providing strong descriptions of the conversations that were had, the tensions that were present and is able to paint good mental pictures of the landscapes in which the various events took place. Either he took very detailed notes of his exploits over time or he has an eidectic memory. Either way, I am glad that he shared his life with us.

MAD

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thatcher's Spy is an excellent story by a former long-term source for British intelligence. Carlin discusses the internal struggle and dilemmas that he faced as he reconciled his life as an Agent with his daily life. Unlike many other biographies, let alone those of former politicians, bureaucrats, spymasters, spys themselves, and agents, Carlin's narrative does not come across as overtly self-serving or sensationalist. Carlin, to his great credit, directly confronts his painful choices, takes ownership of his actions and the results, and accepts the tragic outcome that sees him exiled from his home. Carlin's narrative may have its flaws, but these weaknesses are overcome by Carlin's refreshing candor. If anything, I wonder what Carlin held back because the information would have been too damaging or would have come across as not credible.

[Alice Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astounding. I'm of an age where my happy childhood in England was punctuated by bomb warnings and explosions seemed par for the course. Having it as an accepted part of life meant I have little idea or understanding of the political machinations other than 'knowing' Sinn Fein was the political arm of the IRA and wondering what Gerry Adam's voice really sounded like. This book was a real education in what life looked like at the beginning of the troubles and how the political birth of the movement was so important in legitimising the republican actions.
It's one man's outlook, of course, and acting as an agent must leave you with a very peculiar understanding of what's going on. However it's a story well told, and a real insight into how difficult life was.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story, if true and I have to assume that it is true. A Catholic from Derry who joined the British Army at a time when that was a respectable thing to do, lured into spying on Sinn Féin for MI5, eventually rising up in the ranks to become Treasurer. The intelligence that he provided was personally read by Margaret Thatcher. One of the best accounts of the inside story of The Troubles and how it affected the lives of ordinary people. It does make sense of some of the questions that I had about those times. A great story nevertheless.

[Christopher Rozario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valuable background to people and events in turmoil within recall of many. Shines a light on some darker moments while hinting at more complexities beyond its illuminating beam. A well paced and credible story that reveals how immediate actors and those behind the scenes have moved and move within circumscribed historical and geographical landscapes. While one may empathise / feel 'pity' for the narrator it's to his credit he does not seek this. He got on with the tasks set before him and accepts the consequences.

[Dylan McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild story about a complicated man in a complicated situation. I was surprised at how he could earnestly do work for both sides for good while clearly undermining bad behavior of the RUF and IRA where feasible. He did a good job of placing himself while clearly explaining the gray areas of his work. This was a tough read at first without deep knowledge of the Troubles beforehand, but by the end I was surprised by how much background information Carlin was able to slip in. Makes me want to look into more Irish history.

[Patrick Cormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly gripping first hand account of the troubles in Derry. Fast paced story telling that keeps you hooked. You have to admire the bravery, competence and audacity of the author. His story got better and better as the book went on. It is an incredibly honest account of his life inside and outside of the service. I would say this is a must read if you have any interest in Northern Ireland history, it gives a great insight into the internal machinations of Sinn Fein politics at the time.

[Fionnan Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing insight into the duplicity of the troubles and especially within the IRA and Sinn Féin. Remarkable to read a first-hand account of some of the terrible events that shaped Irish society. Anyone who reads this will appreciate the complexity of goals involved in the struggle, all is certainly not black and white. Willie Carlin is the ultimate proof.

Informative, insightful, moving. I can't recommend this book enough.

[Kristoffer Roupé · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book and as there are a lot of names of people and places it gets kind of confusing. Might have been easier if you actually read the book.
Otherwise the story is kind of cool but not intriguing enough for me to keep the fire up.
The narrator of the book also had a thick Irish accent which made the listening quite fun but also hard.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This was incredible. The narrator did a great job with the Derry, Ireland accent. It was so interesting to see the inside of MI5 and the dealings of Sinn Fein with Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams, and how Willie was able to work his way up. I am glad he wrote about how the life of a spy was forever and how he had to continue hiding the rest of his life.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting story, and at times I was really gripped. Yet there were often times when I felt confused and like I had missed key details. Perhaps it's easier to follow if you already have a good background knowledge of the troubles. There are lots of names mentioned, and at times it was hard to remember the significance of each name when it came up again later in the book.

[Phil Aldis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. However , I did feel the author wanted to justify his actions and give them a positive spin. He may have had some of the positive impacts that he claims but he glosses over the negative impacts of his actions.

[elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely insane book to read i genuinely can't wrap my head around his motivations or his inner workings but it's horrifically interesting learning about the running of sinn fein and the ira during the troubles and i can't wait to read more about it.

[Kathryn Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me ages and was a bit of a slog but it is an interesting story and one that should be read and known

As with most troubles memoirs I feel we have an unreliable narrater but that’s fine I guess

[Michelle Doughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perspective!

Gobsmacked! Politics is a dirty game and this book is an eye opener.
Very interesting and a page turner from start to finish.

[Stephen Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

One of the most powerful, gripping and shocking books I have ever read. I don't know what words I should put together to credit it, all I can say is... Just read it.

[Brittany (Hundman) Ricketts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing insight into British Intelligence and the IRA during the 1980s.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining read. Unbelievable the pain and suffering this man has endured . He helped so many yet lost so much.

[Julian Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story of subterfuge and courage and a fascinating insight into Ireland during The Troubles.

[Rob B · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight into political and military intelligence gathering within the machinations of Sinn Fean in the 70s, 80s and 90s and how things were in Derry

[Eoin Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic life. Interesting read.

[Esther Dushinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Mary Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible story. I found the history and characters to be powerful. Such sad days of murder and death. Seems like forever ago.

[Oliver Haslam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, if read a little oddly by the narrator.

[Bradley Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story if true. Another non-fiction book that reads like a thriller.