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Charles Kennedy

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Butts

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Tragic news about the death of the former Liberal Democrat Leader at the age of just 55.

Former Liberal Democrat Party leader Charles Kennedy has died at his home in Fort William aged 55.

His family said they were devastated to lose a "fine man and loving father". No cause of death has been given but police said it was not suspicious.

Mr Kennedy, who led his party from 1999 to 2006, lost his seat last month.

Politicians including Nick Clegg and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have been paying tribute, calling him "one of the most talented politicians"...

Once the youngest MP in Parliament at the age of 23, held his seat for over 30 years until the recent General Election.

Charlie liked a smoke and a drink , but the cause of death has not been announced.
 
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richw

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Reading Lembit Opik's comments, I fear he may have taken his life. I hope that's not the case though.

Former MP Lembit Opik said there were concerns about his health after he lost his seat and whether he was properly supported.
He said: 'I was thinking 'Charles Kennedy has to get into the House of Lords, he has to have that institutional support'.
'It would have been support for him but it's too late now. There was no support for him in his last days p
'I really was concerned this was going to happen'.
 

Tetchytyke

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They've been very quiet about a cause of death, and there will be a coroner's inquiry. I'm not going to speculate as it isn't fair.

RIP. I always liked Charlie, he was one of the main reasons I joined the LibDems.
 
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Very sad indeed.

His father died about a month ago during the election campaign (a few days before his Question Time appearance) and he leaves a son who's just passed his tenth birthday.
 

47802

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I'm really sad to hear that news, it is obviously known that he had a drinking problem so I wouldn't want to speculate on cause of death, one of the few politicians who could see both sides of the argument even if he didn't agree with it.
 
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ExRes

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Lembit Opik is a complete idiot who, like all the rest of us, has no idea whatsoever of the cause of death, can we not show a little humanity and leave it like that until the actual truth comes out, as for a Coroners enquiry, of course there will be one
 

Morgsie

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Lembit Opik is a bad smell that won't go away. The other potential cause of his death is the drink.

Charlie's opposition to Iraq and his his-Pro EU stance made me realise I was a Liberal all those years ago. If the circumstances were right I would have joined the Party years ago. He was full of talent which we need at this time. When he appeared on Question Time in the last few years ago, he had this warmth and he spoke well. My thoughts are with his family and those close to Charlie.I am really emotional and in tears as we lost a rare species in British Politics. RIP Charles Kennedy. :( :cry:
 

507021

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RIP Charles. I respected him a great deal and he will definitely be missed
 

Seacook

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Lembit Opik is a complete idiot who, like all the rest of us, has no idea whatsoever of the cause of death, can we not show a little humanity and leave it like that until the actual truth comes out, as for a Coroners enquiry, of course there will be one


I'm only surprised that Lembit Opik doesn't think he was hit by a meteorite.

When the election results came through I imagined that Charles Kennedy would be made a peer. He would certainly have been an asset.
 

TheNewNo2

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I was really shocked to read this this morning. Of all the politicians, Charles Kennedy seemed to be one of the few good people. May he rest according to his beliefs.
 

Butts

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Hard to remember now he was actually SDP prior to the amalgamation with the Liberal Party.
 

Bodiddly

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Charlie was my MP for as long as I can remember and I met him several times over the years. What you found with Charlie was he was so down to earth it was unbelievable. He always, always had time for his constituents and was a very hard working and loyal MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber. Unfortunately, he was caught up with the LibDem's treacherous deal of coalition, something I might add Charlie was absolutely against. He had the foresight to see the LibDem's support would collapse after going into bed with the Tories and he was proven right as he lost his very safe seat. I have a parliamentary letter from Charlie and it's getting framed and put on the wall as a reminder of a fantastic servant to my area.

Another great person taken from us far too early.

Goodnight and God bless you Charlie and I am sure you will get a place in the great debating chamber in the sky with John Farquhar Munro supporting!
 

cf111

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Charles Kennedy was a rare example of an honest, decent politician. I hope he is at peace now.
 

Tetchytyke

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Lembit Opik is a complete idiot who, like all the rest of us, has no idea whatsoever of the cause of death

Alistair Campbell- who is in a very good position to know- has hinted at similar things, but in a much more diplomatic and dignified way than the halfwit Lembit Opik.

Kennedy was always had a very good sense of foresight, and when he's made a stand about something, history has proven him right. He's a great loss, for sure :(
 

Busaholic

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Charlie was my MP for as long as I can remember and I met him several times over the years. What you found with Charlie was he was so down to earth it was unbelievable. He always, always had time for his constituents and was a very hard working and loyal MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber. Unfortunately, he was caught up with the LibDem's treacherous deal of coalition, something I might add Charlie was absolutely against. He had the foresight to see the LibDem's support would collapse after going into bed with the Tories and he was proven right as he lost his very safe seat. I have a parliamentary letter from Charlie and it's getting framed and put on the wall as a reminder of a fantastic servant to my area.

Another great person taken from us far too early.

Goodnight and God bless you Charlie and I am sure you will get a place in the great debating chamber in the sky with John Farquhar Munro supporting!

Charlie Kennedy, his spirit and principles, was the main reason I voted LibDem in every General Election from sometime in the 1980s up to and including the most recent. I did vow to myself I would never vote LibDem again after 2010 and the treachery, not to mention arrant stupidity, of getting into bed with the Tories, but the thought of our rebellious LibDem MP being replaced by a Tory whose creationist beliefs would have been rejected as too extreme for Ian Paisley was too much to bear: unfortunately, he succumbed, but by far less than most other LibDems.
Kennedy had never been a Liberal, and that I found most attractive, as the Whig tradition as personified by Jeremy Thorpe et al is anathema to me (Cameron a century and a half ago would have been a Whig).
The two things that Charlie K should be remembered for were his opposition to going to war in Iraq, which would never have happened under Ashdown's leadership. and probably not under Ming Campbell either, and his solo opposition to going into coalition. Both positions will be judged by history to have been correct rather than just the first.
He paid the price for Clegg and Huhne's rampant egos in the election and seldom have I felt more sorry on a personal level when I saw him at the election declaration.
Poke It Lemb should crawl back under his stone.
RIP to a fine and principled man, a scholar and a 'Highland gentleman'. a man of wit and perspective. Don't mind admitting I shed some tears when I heard the news.

Tim Wallace
 
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Groningen

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Not since John Smith in 1994 there has been a death of a British politician. that shocks me some what. Seen him on Have i got news for you; he appeared the way Boris Johnson acts now. A very normal person!
 

Busaholic

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A quick anecdote appropriate for a railway forum. A friend of mine, at the time a LibDem councillor, was deputed to meet Charles at Penzance station and was surprised to see him puffing on a fag as he exited the FGW train, an offence for some time: apparently a BTP person who happened to be on the platform was all for making an arrest, but was persuaded not to!
 

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Perhaps GBRf/Serco could name one of the new sleeper locos that will take over the WHL portion of the ScotRail sleeper(class 73) after him?
 

richw

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Suicide has now been ruled out I'm glad to read.

I've just seen a picture of him captioned as taken 6 weeks ago, and he looks ill in the picture. In the picture His skin is a yellowy colour, similar to jaundice in a baby.
I suspect there was an ongoing illness that we will learn of in time to come.
 

455driver

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Charles Kennedy was a rare example of an honest, decent politician. I hope he is at peace now.
I agree completely with this post, this is a sad loss of a decent, honest, down to earth politician of which there are very few.

My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
 

Bodiddly

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I was so relieved to hear Charlie didn't take his own life. With the timing of his death being so close to all the personal issues he had to deal with, the question was being thought about. I hate to think how the media would have ran with that story and could have undone a life's achievement by a great person.
Alcoholism is a curse with no regard for race, religion, class or vocation.
 
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