Born into a traditional Welsh valley community, Paul Murphy has been a member of the Labour Party for more than 55 years. In this book, he describes how the socialist beliefs of that community, and of his parents especially, helped to develop his own very early political consciousness. After three years studying at Oxford, and alongside work as a lecturer in History and Government, he went on to serve on his local council before succeeding another mentor, Leo Abse, as MP for his home constituency Torfaen in 1987. His time in government from 1997 onwards included seven years as Secretary of State for Wales and for Northern Ireland, in the Cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The book provides unique insights into Murphy's leading role at times of major constitutional change, and of the pivotal part he played as Northern Ireland Minister under Mo Mowlam in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement.
