Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedywas a British Liberal Democrat politician, who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006 and a Member of Parliamentfrom 1983 to 2015, latterly for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth25 November 1959
elected front locally means power public teachers
When it comes to our public services, decentralisation means giving power back to those on the front line - our doctors, nurses, teachers and physiotherapists, and our locally elected officials.
believe britain government improve lives local public quality services
We believe that government in Britain should improve the quality of people's lives and improve the quality of our public services in every local community.
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When I started knocking on Highland doors in May 1983, two things struck me more than any other. First was the sheer depth of hostility towards the Tories in general. Second was the particular hostility towards Margaret Thatcher and her local ministerial spear-carrier, energy minister and incumbent MP of 13 years' standing, Hamish Gray.
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Useful lessons can be learned from our more successful local authorities - as you move into government, it is even more imperative to communicate speedily and persuasively with your members and your voters.
local older people
I know from my own parents how important active older people are to a local community.
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It has been the greatest privilege of my adult and public life to have served, for 32 years, as the Member of Parliament for our local Highlands and Islands communities.
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I think we owe it really to those forces, and to their families back home, to make quite clear what the position is and to reassure people by making quite clear that the government and parliament are thinking in terms of a safe homeward strategy for the forces.
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I think we should use the opportunity to leave the president in no doubt as to the extent of public concern, not just in our country, but in Europe generally about the way in which events, tragically, have unfolded,
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It has been a fantastic victory. We have shown we are the party of the future. This decade can see us as part of the governments of our country.
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Just as we Liberal Democrats opposed the flawed logic of that war in Iraq - we will oppose the flawed government claim that we have to surrender our fundamental rights in order to improve our security.
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We must restore faith in politics. Reform of the House of Lords is only one part of the answer, but it is a vital one.
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Over the past 18 months I've been coming to terms with and seeking to cope with a drinking problem, and I've come to learn through that process that a drink problem is a serious problem indeed.
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Over the course of the last parliament, as a party, we have been the real opposition over the big issues of the day ... and the Conservatives over that period have themselves flip-flopped on so many of those matters,
apparent finality force peace power threatens
Terrorism gravely threatens international peace and security, and as a solution, the power and apparent finality of force are seductive.