Joe Haines grew up in a London slum, leaving school at 11; yet he went on to become a political journalist, and a close friend and adviser to former Prime Minister Harold Wilson. After Wilson's retirement, Haines wrote the sensational book The Politics of Power, describing life inside 10 Downing Street. Haines went on to join the Daily Mirror and held the positions of leader writer, political editor, columnist, assistant editor and finally director. Robert Maxwell, who bought the Mirror group and went on to defraud their companies' pension funds, sought his advice constantly, despite Haines' opposition to his takeover.

This is a unique insight into the minds of two remarkable men.