Economy Paper Version:

Ken Tyrrell is one of an increasingly rare breed. Half a century ago it was no uncommon thing for a working man, steeped in the labour movement, to write about his workplace struggles and tell readers something of his life story in the process. But since the Thatcher years, and the blow they gave to British working-class self-esteem, such writing has sadly dwindled away. Ken, on the other hand, has used his pen to continue the fight he waged at work for a fairer Britain. His 'Working at Masseys, The Rise and Fall of Massey Ferguson in the United Kingdom', telling the story of his role as AUEW convenor in the giant Coventry plant, was published in 2008. It won many readers, and not just among his former workmates. That warm reception for his first book, coupled with a real love of writing – not just as a means of self-expression but for a political purpose – has driven him on to tell us something of his life outside the workplace. This exceptional memoir is the result.