Charles Kennedy - Classic or Dud?

I sort of agree with this - he's too amiable for his own good really - but part of it surely is that old chesnut about the inherent difficulty of conveying any sort of nuanced stance through such an unsubtle beast as the media. When you're the third party commenting on what's often falsely portrayed as a black-and-white issue, it's kind of hard finding a distinct spotlight to wank your mandate under. Which has always been Charlie's gripe I guess.

Which is the nubbins of it really isn't it? LibDems have always blamed the system where others have played the system.

neither did the Tories at the last election really but they still picked up more votes. i blame the electorate!

I think that Hughes and Campbell will not be future leaders. I think that a contest could be fought between Oaten and Cable. I would expect Oaten to win. Maybe that will even happen soon.

how so?

he's telegenic, yes.

Lembit Opik is a menk however, and I'd rather have Charlie Kennedy any day over a bloke who is obsessed with aliens and married to Sian Lloyd.

What example are we talking about here? Of course division doesn't work against the idea of one party being completely united on all issues, but the latter seems somewhat absurd in itself. Unrealistic? When most issues are clearly grey, how can one commit to a policy that is entirely black or white?

also, SIAN LLOYD IS AN ALIEN. It all makes sense now.

I would rather have a 'chairman' than a 'leader' like Blair or Cameron.

OTM. But also, has it really come to the point where we have no other choice than to support either right or central parties? I find the fact a lot of people my age are disillusioned with politics and don't vote is because there is no real alternative. Left-wing parties are considered extremely radical or unfashionable in this day and age. And I'll agree with Matt DC - we need a few Thatchers and Benns to shake up the system. It's become a fucking X-Factor contest of whose mug is the most camera friendly rather than who is the most passionate about what they believe in.

My friend put forward the other day that most authorative figures (politicians, teachers, even parents) go out and try their best in order to prove their own worth to other people, rather than actually wanting to make a difference. While I would argue that it's really horses for courses, this is the impression that I get from people like Cameron and Blair - they got bullied at school and now they want to prove that they can make it - like some kind of messed up popularity contest. At least Kennedy doesn't TRY to be some jumped up over charismatic male model all the time. I'd hate it if the LD's followed down this path and therefore I'd say it's Ming Campbell who deserves a shot at the (ironically-called) limelight, despite the well documented health issues.

watch yer back Kennedy (and Cameron)...

He does have a very large and bulbous head, mind.

Also: I know who the very first rumble about Charlie's drinking, which was published in the diary section in The Mirror in 2003, comes from. Go me!

-- Mike W (mik...), January 22nd, 2006.

er, right, only that famous newsnight interview in which paxo went off on one about whiskey was... summer 2001. so not the 'first rumble' as such.

Dead at 55

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32970337

Man, you beat me to it by seconds. RIP Charlie, last genuine Liberal in Britain.

Malcolm Bruce just came within an ace of blaming SNP voters on Today

Classy.

Numbers of Lib Dem MPs on resignation:

Clegg 8
Charlie Kennedy 62

Lembit Opik was in blaming a few as well.

A lot of deeply upset Libdems, possibly needing a moment or two to calm down.

We had some rare old fun at Charlie's expense on this thread btw, bless 'im.

people falling short of blaming the SNP is a bit disingenuous when you consider the state he turned up on qt recently, before he had lost his seat.

The last time I saw him actually speak was on Question Time and he looked absolutely plastered.

Conjecture obviously as we don't really know what happened, but in these situations the sudden removal of structure from your life can't be a good thing.

One of the few Liberal Democrat MPs who came out as a vocal hater of the coalition, not that it did him any good. RIP.

(xp)

Hadn't realised that his father died at the start of the election campaign as well. Holy shit that's a horrific couple of months.

:( i liked him a lot. RIP

RIP. It does seem that likeable politicians with principles seem to die too early

RIP. Always struck me as one of the saner and more genuinely down to earth of the mainstream politicians.

the night i was at Question Time in 2010 he was announced as a guest and got a properly celebratory, roof-raising welcome from the audience.

.. and he said the album he'd 'save from a fire' was Bowie's Station To Station.

Reminds me of my uncle, also a gregarious and popular yet lonerish alcoholic in a high-pressure job, also beset by structure loss in early retirement, also dead at 56 (in my uncle's case, cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage). Still a shock, though. RIP.

Really saddened to hear this, and really sad that most people's last memory of a decent man and a fine constituency MP (my parents had a lot of time for him, and he did a lot to look after the widespread and diverse electorate of a huge area) will be of a shambling drunk performance on Question Time. Always seemed genuinely passionate about his politics and respectful of others rather than a careerist out for himself. Definitely one of the good guys, even if I didn't always agree with him.

RIP.

rip charlie, genuinely sad about this. are there any broadly well-liked uk politicians left now?

no

Skinner?

Tragically the closest to that description is probably Boris.

yeah, you're probably right :(

Balls to Boris. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Charlie Kennedy a perfect example of that latter day hate figure, the Career Politician?

I think it's possible to escape that charge if, as an MP, you represent the place where you were born and raised (see also: Gordon Brown).

It's a charge that carries no great weight with me anyway tbh.

that latter day hate figure, the Career Politician?

I used to think it mattered that if you were going to present yourself as a Labour Man you had to have had at least one fucking job somewhere before putting your rosette on but that means fuck all to whatever "Labour" is these days. Politics is more of a game than ever and MPs have never been so powerless so you may as well have people who've been at it since high school debate club just to keep the charade of PMQs going.

Sad news re Charles Kennedy. Alcoholism is a terrible thing and does terrible things to people.

I can believe his last appearance on QT was not due to being drunk, but more than likely due to whatever killed him in the end.

(Which may well be alcohol related i.e. lasting effects of alcoholism and so on..)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009377m#playt=4m24s

that is very beautiful and I am very sad

Jesus wept! politician choosing Toploader + Bowie on Desert Island Disc so fucking rote, too busy drinking myself to death tonight to genuinely gaf!

if you'd rather rage against toploader than listen to a special bit of fiddle playing a few times that's your prerogative :)

RIP xelab

assumed you would have c&ped that 'rote' post

rip to charlie anyway, i shall have to do some more reading about his tenure but i think it's possible to say, tentatively, that he was a good person, that a government of drunk teuchters would not necessarily be worse than one of religious lunatics or cromwell baronets, and that despite his liking for toploader his death is still to be lamented

I am unpredictable xp

also "rote" was in quotes so it was difficult to find

site:ilxor.com

lol that was a joke but thx

i shall have to do some more reading about his tenure

Re-reading this thread (which I'm not suggesting you do, btw!) I'd forgotten how useless he was considered by the end of his leadership, this in spite of electorally being the most successful 'Liberal' leader since... errrrr... I'm sure I heard someone say Lloyd George? Right?

Mind you, successful in spite of him turning up still drunk from the night before for the Liberal Democrats 2005 election launch. I can't remember but I'm guessing his appearances were strictly monitored and/or rationed for the rest of the campaign.

same as clegg and alexander were the most powerful liberals since then, they were on the crest of a wave that probably any leader (save or an evidently unsuitable one like campbell) would have benefitted from, especially since any liberal leader would likely have followed the same policy on iraq, but he still did a good job electorally

the aspect i had forgotten was 'chat show charlie'........apparently having charm other than of the charismatic/psychotic variety was looked down upon, and being approachable to the larger public suggests lack of moral seriousness

sometimes i will trawl through the archives for all the calumnies thrown at him in early 2003 from vermin in the press corps, such as being demeaned for offering pro-forces boilerplate once the war started while reiterating his opposition to the war itself (as if he should have wished death upon their brave boys instead)

he does have the look of a human being who entered a career where that status had become surplus to requirements

I'd also forgotten that he was nicknamed Taxi Kennedy (seems he had a few, if you pardon the expression) at Glasgow Uni because of this habit of taking taxis, no matter how short the journey (i.e. to and from the Students Union).

probably have less luck in london, once a fat cunt in a hackney carriage got out to shout at the next cabbie for accepting my (sub £5) fare