How many other trade union leaders could claim to have stolen a firearm, drunk bleach, hospitalised several people, lived in a tent for six months to halt privatisation of a school, appeared before a High Court judge at the Old Bailey and then been elected president of their union, subsequently securing one of the most significant trade union amalgamations in recent history?

[[{"fid":"17428","view_mode":"inlineright","fields":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-inlineright","data-delta":"1"}}]]So, when Roberts turned 70 several weeks ago and released his autobiography, it was bound to be an interesting read. Something of a roller-coaster of a ride, it details his life from his birth in Bermuda and growing up in Portsmouth and Camden to his career as a teacher and trade unionist.