The Persuader: A Balanced Insight into the Life and Legacy of John Hume

By Eimear Crawford

Before reading ‘The Persuader,’ I had the pleasure of attending a talk by its author, former BBC journalist Stephen Walker, in the Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena. As someone with an interest in local politics, I had taken notice of the book’s release. I knew that John Hume was a seminal figure in the Northern Irish peace movement. I remembered his death in 2020, mourned by celebrities and former US presidents alike. But Walker’s presentation introduced me to John Hume on a more personal level as he recounted anecdotes from the politician’s life, gathered from interviews with those who knew him. He felt that Hume was missing a comprehensive biography like other iconic Irish political figures, such as Michael Collins or Éamon De Valera. Certainly, after reading the book, I am glad he provided us with one. 

The overarching theme of the book is Hume’s capacity as a persuader, someone who could bring people together and have a conversation with them. Hume was the chief architect of the Good Friday Agreement. Many of the core pillars of the Good Friday Agreement, still radical when it was signed in 1998, were ideas John Hume had put forward decades earlier. In September 1972, the SDLP published a document: ‘Towards a New Ireland.’ It contained proposals for an Assembly elected by proportional representation, the right for the people of Northern Ireland to claim British or Irish citizenship, and greater relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as between the United Kingdom and the Republic. In an interview for the book, fellow politician Eamonn McCann described the Agreement as ‘John Hume’s speeches from the 1970s.’

The book charts Hume’s entire life, beginning with his childhood in a cramped house in Derry, to his gradual entry into politics and his emergence as one of the main political voices of Northern Ireland. It climaxes with the culmination of Hume’s life work, peace in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement, before slowing down into his retirement and a poignant account of his final days and funeral. Walker brings together interviews from a wide range of sources: Hume’s friends and family, political allies, and political foes alike. One thing I was touched by as I read the book was the respect shown by each interviewee. Even if they disagreed with Hume’s beliefs, there was recognition of his impact and intellect. 

Of course, Hume’s arguably most significant ‘persuasion’ was that of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, with whom he engaged in the secretive Hume-Adams talks. These talks gave rise to the 1994 IRA ceasefire and republicanism’s move to favouring a political solution over violence. But the dynamic I found most interesting to read about was the one he shared with DUP founder and former First Minister, Reverend Ian Paisley. In many respects, the two men were opposites, and not only on the constitutional question. Paisley is famed (or infamous) as a firebrand, capable of stirring crowds to violence with his polemic, divisive speeches, while Hume was a constant staunch advocate for peace, focused on reconciliation. The two men served as MEPs together for decades, and Mark Durkan recalls that Hume had a ‘good relationship’ with Paisley. Paisley’s son, Ian Paisley Jr, felt that his father regarded Hume highly as an intellectual. When Paisley became First Minister in 2007, he echoed many of Hume’s long-standing sentiments in a speech about a shared future between the communities of Northern Ireland. In a way, their relationship serves a microcosm of one of Hume’s long-held beliefs: it was the people of Northern Ireland who were divided, not the territory. 

For all that the book acknowledges Hume’s achievements, Walker made it clear that it was not a hagiography, and he does not shy away from portraying Hume’s mistakes or his flawed human side. At points in his career, despite being a voice for peace and reconciliation, he made unsavoury remarks about the Unionist community, describing them in one speech as ‘a petty people.’ Like all politicians, he was not immune to the trap of choosing the wrong words. Founding members of the SDLP criticised him for taking the party in a nationalist direction and failing to appeal to unionism. His downfall came in organisation and implementing the finer details; he was a visionary and a ‘big picture’ man, too content to let others sort out the boring stuff, qualities that at times made him unsuited to lead a political party. Perhaps more relatable, certainly to me, was that he could be moody, and colleagues recounted long car journeys from Dublin to Derry where he would sit in complete silence. Sometimes the great persuader simply did not want to talk.

For me, the feeling I got as I reached the end of the book was an abiding sense of hope. John Hume’s career spanned decades by the time he reached the culmination of his life work in 1998. From a Maynooth drop-out, to a salmon salesman, to a Nobel Peace Prize winner, his path was wrought with difficulty. There were times he considered giving up. In 1992, he had a resignation speech written. He persevered and Northern Ireland is better for it. Today, the state of local politics is polarised and pessimistic. There seems to be lack of Hume’s endless optimism for a better future. Maybe our politicians could take a leaf from ‘The Persuader’ and push forward to reconcile and improve life for everyone living here. As John Hume was fond of saying: you can’t eat a flag. 

Edited by Sarah Michaelides