Book excerpt: A selection of fascinating extracts from notes and digital recordings made by Peter Hain during his twelve years serving in government, The Hain Diaries offers an invaluable insight into the workings and workers of the New Labour Cabinet. Providing a unique record of the ups and downs of ministerial life, informed and enhanced by Peter's experiences before and outside politics, the diaries form a compilation of candid and thoughtful reflections on parliament, power and problem-solving. Peter's career in government was marked by daily struggles to reconcile rival interests and individuals in bold attempts to resolve some of the most historically sensitive political issues of the time - from Iraq to Northern Ireland to Europe - and it is these events that provide the backdrop to his writings. However, although he was a figure who achieved senior office and was directly involved in key Cabinet decisions, Hain fell into neither the Blair nor Brown camps and is therefore perfectly placed to offer a rare non-sectarian perspective of New Labour in power. Serving as a brilliant complement to his memoir Outside In (Biteback Publishing), this collection documents Peter's successes and failures - as well as the lessons learned from them - and makes absorbing reading for anybody interested in a genuinely personal account of government life.