John Smith, QC, a barrister from Argyll, took office as leader of the Labour Party on 18 July 1992, after a leadership election which was virually no contest. It has taken him a long time. As the only former Labour Cabinet minister still active in front line politics, he can remember being driven along Whitehall in a ministerial car when John Major was still touring Conservative associations looking for a safe seat. This biography, describing a little known life, asks how he will deal with a country where conservatism in the electorate and in the electoral system appears to have combined to abolish two-party democracy, as it has been practised for centuries, in favour of an eternal Tory government. Written with the full co-operation of John Smith, and containing exclusive interviews, this biography aims to provide an assessment of a man who is determined to end one-party rule.