In this Brief Encounter, Nick Stadlen QC talks to Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams about the Irish republican movement's transition from violence to peace. They talk in depth about the thousands of deaths in 25 years of the Troubles, republicans' justification for the use of arms, the latest moves to share power between unionists and republicans and Mr Adams' ultimate goal - a united Ireland.
Brief Encounter is a series of interviews between a leading QC and high profile figures. Each interview lasts for an hour: the aim is to go beyond the soundbite and the 10-minute punch-up that characterise confrontations on the Today Programme and Newsnight.
The series interviewer is Nick Stadlen QC. A former president of the Cambridge Union, Nick was named Barrister of the Year in the 2006 Lawyer awards. He was the lead counsel for the Bank of England in the mammoth litigation brought by Deloitte, liquidator of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). Mr Justice Tomlinson described Nick's performance in that case as a 'tour de force'.
