A profile of Paddy Devlin, Irish social democrat, labour and civil rights activist and writer. He is interviewed by a variety of people he has met throughout his life, with topics discussed ranging from his early life and career, to his political ideology.
Standing by Belfast Harbour, Devlin recounts growing up in West Belfast just after partition. He tells of the hardships his mother and father went through, working in the local mills twelve hours a day. Fred Heatley (historian) chats to Devlin about socialism and the impact growing up working class had on his political aims.
Next, the subject of his internment at Crumlin Road Gaol is raised, with Devlin discussing how he got involved with the trade union and civil rights movement. Here, he makes the point that there was unionist participation in the civil rights movement, for example Chichester-Clark.
Chris Ryder, a journalist, asks about Devlin's membership in the IRA and why he later left the organisation, something Devlin puts down to his being against sectarianism. During this time he also publicly supported the police over the Provisional IRA, a controversial move which, he says, was a necessary stance and one taken to counter sectarianism.
With Ivan Cooper, he discusses the creation of the SDLP and the collapse of the Stormont Assembly.