The strange religious subculture or underworld that has nourished Paisley through his life is laid bare in this well researched book, which in ways is also deeply depressing. In many respects he seems a throwback to the religious polemics of the Cromwellian era, when an obsession with the wiles and plots of the Scarlet Woman of Rome sometimes rivalled Hitler's later obsession with Jews. The Free Presbyterians, whom he represents, do not regard the Catholic Church as Christian, and are rather hostile to celebrating Christmas because it lacks Biblical authority. Religion apart, Paisley's skills as a demagogue, his judgment of just how and when to ring alarm bells to his fellow Northerners, his shrewd manoeuvring and his sense of timing have also been constants in his curious career.