Now in paperback, this is the book that was flung across the chamber of the House of Commons as it became the centrepiece of of battle between Tony Blair and Michael Howard. David Blunkett has never been a conventional politician -- or personality. Blind since childhood, seemingly a traditional 'old Labour' councillor in Sheffield, he became Home Secretary and a key member of the Labour government. How did this son of a Sheffield steel worker achieve all this? And what motivates him now? This fully updated biography is based on many hours of intimate conversation, covering not only his early life and blindness but also life on the government front bench -and his hopes for the future. As you would expect, Blunkett is candid in his opinions of his political allies and opponents - and unsparing in his analysis of his own performance.