The Matrix is a system used by the British Secret Service to map their agents and informers within paramilitary organisations. Agents differ from informers, as agents have been trained and planted within paramilitary organisations, while informers are involved with or associated with paramilitary organisations and are paid money to provide the security services with information. There is a long list of both agents and informers who have been exposed within the ranks of both republican and loyalist paramilitary groups, however, those so exposed are a small portion of the actual agents and informers operating within the ranks of all paramilitary organisations.
Due to the close links between the Irish Security Services and the British Secret Service over the period of what is known as the ‘troubles’ in the north of Ireland, the British Secret Service were able to build up a clear picture of all intelligence assets within the republican movement (north and south), this information was placed on the Matrix. The British Secret Service had specific targets in terms of the numbers of agents to be placed and informers recruited, this was never simply ad hoc, this process was systematic and relentless. This was at its best during the Supergrass period, when the British Secret Service selectively interned core republicans in order to place agents within the ranks of the IRA and INLA on the outside. Often the British Secret Service would focus on a particular geographical area if their agent and informer numbers were down and this often lead to stories appearing in the media about the British trying to recruit informers.
By 1998 the British Secret Service had achieved within the republican movement, what the FBI had achieved within the Communist Party in the USA in the 1970s, they had effectively taken control of the republican movement, the British Secret Service were a majority stakeholder. The British Secret Service had obtained 60% control of the IRA Army Council; this was possible when Kevin McKenna and Michael McKevitt resigned from the IRA Army Council in November 1997. The British Secret Service had 70% control of the IRA Army Convention and at least 40% of ordinary IRA volunteers were providing information to the Irish and British security forces.
Sinn Fein had suffered a similar level of infiltration, however, the British Secret Service had mainly focused on recruiting the leadership and middle-management of Sinn Fein, and this had been done to great effect over years and decades. These agents and informers were able to cover-up the money they were being paid by their handlers once they began to collect salaries and expenses as elected politicians. Prior to being elected politicians it was difficult for so called republicans on social welfare to justify spending hundreds of pounds (paid by their handlers) on holidays and so forth, there was only so many times you can say you got a loan from the Credit Union.
It is known that in areas such as the lower Ormeau Road and Markets in Belfast that RUC Special Branch were on shifts 24/7 in order to handle the number of so called republican informers and agents that they had to manage. Many so called republicans often appearing on the television to condemn Orange marches would be taking their thirty-pieces-of-silver off screen from their RUC handlers. So called republicans, living on social welfare, were enjoying foreign holidays thanks to their British paymasters. The British were happy to turn a blind eye to on-going criminality by these so called republicans, so that the British could maintain their control of the republican movement. Former British Secretary of State for the north Mo Mowlam would describe the murder and rape of Catholics by Sinn Fein/IRA as “Internal House-keeping”. This at a time when Mo Mowlam was fully aware that Liam Adams (senior Sinn Fein/IRA member and brother of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD) had raped his four year old daughter Aine.
By 1998 M16 were able to inform the British Prime Minister that the republican movement could be surrendered at any time. And so it would be that the British Secret Service used their well-positioned agents within the republican movement to bring about the surrender of the IRA. IRA criminality would be allowed to continue, however, attacks on the British Crown Forces would no longer be tolerated. Martin McGuinness had been having secret meetings with M16 for many years, his M16 contact Michael Oakley (the Mountain Climber) was at all times advised by M15 agent and former IRA Commander Sean O’ Callaghan, this often lead to Oakley flirting with the Gaelic language in his correspondence with McGuinness.
The Good Friday Agreement would be signed in 1998 with Sinn Fein/IRA and their loyalist counter-parts continuing to this day in 2012 with acts of barbarous criminality. The former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has admitted in his auto-biography that he lied to the British and Irish people, and turned a blind eye to criminality, in order to keep the terrorists within the ‘peace-process’.
