The Long and Winding Road

One of my Xmas reading pleasures was the third volume of Alan Johnson's autobiography.   Whilst it doesn't have the gripping detail of his account of his childhood in North Kensington, it's an attractive blend of personal and political narrative, recounted (as far as I can tell) with honesty and a good eye for character. One of his characters is Jeannie Drake, described by Johnson as "the finest trade-union official I've ever worked with."  He goes on: "She had the special gift of being able to harness her formidable intellect to an admirable eloquence and capacity for empathy....I once asked Jeannie why she'd so often been second in command but…
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