In 1982, the British government introduced a policy of using 'supergrass' informers to secure convictions against republican and loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. The supergrass trials, which relied on the testimony of a single informer, were controversial and led to a number of high-profile convictions. The policy was eventually abandoned due to concerns about its reliability and fairness.

The supergrass trials are a subject of political poetry, with writers exploring the moral and legal implications of the policy. The trials are often contrasted with the ideals of justice, creating a sense of injustice. The poetry of the period reflects the anxieties of the community, a theme that would persist in the literature of the Troubles.