The historic deal earned him plaudits from around the world and the top job in Northern Ireland's new devolved administration. His beloved son Ian Junior took up a ministerial post by his side.

Yet within a year, this proud family dynasty had crumbled and collapsed. First Ian Junior resigned as a minister, after months of controversy over his links to a property developer. Then Paisley himself announced his retirement - despite having made repeated pledges to serve a full four years in office.

In this hard-hitting book, award-winning journalist David Gordon pinpoints the structural flaws in the House of Paisley and shines an uncompromising light on the Northern Ireland political class.