Counter-terrorist Law and Emergency Powers in the United Kingdom, 1922-2000

Counter-terrorist Law and Emergency Powers in the United Kingdom, 1922-2000 examines in detail the introduction and development of the 1922-1943 Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Acts (SPA), the use of which contributed to the fall of the Northern Ireland parliament and the assumption of direct rule by Westminster. The book reveals over 100 Regulations that the northern executive introduced under this legislation which escaped analysis. The 1973 Northern Ireland (Emergency Powers) Act was drawn almost wholly from Regulations introduced under the Northern Ireland Stormont regime. Similarly, the 1974 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act drew on legislation previously in place. The book examines not only the statutes themselves, but also why they failed to be ‘temporary’ measures and became firmly ensconced in the British response to Northern Ireland. This discourse of rights leads into consideration of European counter-terrorist legislation and cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights for the exercise of emergency law in the United Kingdom. Dr Laura K. Donohue’s research builds on work she conducted at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, where she wrote her Master’s dissertation on state and paramilitary strategies and tactics in Northern Ireland 1969-94. She pursued her understanding of Northern Ireland during her doctoral research at the University of Cambridge, England, where she focused on states’ responses to violence and, particularly, the British government’s response to Northern Irish political violence.