Charles Kennedy quotes: wise famous quotes, sayings and quotations by Charles Kennedy

Charles Kennedy Famous Quotes & Sayings

Discover top inspirational quotes from Charles Kennedy on Wise Famous Quotes.

Ours is a stable country. Ours is a sensible country. And ours is a fundamentally decent country.

I think that former leaders are best seen occasionally and not too often heard - particularly on the subject of their successors!

This country has a proud history of opening its doors to generations of people fleeing personal persecution, civil unrest and war.

The one thing we can all be sure about in politics is you are as well to expect the unexpected.

The late Roy Jenkins was both a mentor and a personal friend. He was a man of both phenomenal intellect and political achievement in equal measure.

I have always considered myself of the reforming centre-left.

In my view, nations together are stronger than when they are isolated. And because they are stronger, their people are more free, not less.

For any new leader of any party at any given time it takes time if you are not in government to establish yourself.

We want a strong, vibrant economy for Britain so that we can set out a clear and affordable alternative programme for government.

We would all rather see Iraq resolved successfully.

No government body is more notorious for over-legislation than the Department of Trade and Industry.

Taking a principled and consistent stance over Iraq has attracted much criticism from our detractors and opponents.

New Labour needs to realise that family life and the way we raise our children are private matters.

If British troops are committed to action, then the nation will, of course, support them. Their courage and skill is not in doubt.

I want our party to step up its efforts to reflect and champion the concerns of everybody who has reached the second half of their lives.

Only the Liberal Democrats have probed the government's failings consistently, thoroughly and effectively.

We'll need to revise the tired assumption that people automatically become more conservative as they grow older.

I listened to the students on campus in Plymouth, worried about their steadily deepening debts and how on earth they would ever escape them.

There is always a temptation for governments: see a problem and announce a quick fix.

The growing influence of focus groups means we are all in danger of being excessively cowed by their feedback.

I will go out of this world feet first with my Lib Dem membership card in my pocket.

I'm not someone who dwells upon past events, taking the view that life is too short.

My health is good and it's up to me to keep it that way.

It must be a judge - never a politician - who decides whether someone is to be locked up.

Courage is a peculiar kind of fear.

Immigrants provide skills that we simply cannot afford to do without. They have contributed hugely to Britain's success.

Terrorism gravely threatens international peace and security, and as a solution, the power and apparent finality of force are seductive.

There are hard choices to be made in balancing the country's security and an individual's liberties. But it is a choice that has to be faced.

Those who use our public services should be able to deal directly with those who manage and deliver them.

The terrorist seeks to smash the most fundamental liberty of all: the right to lead our everyday lives on the basic assumption of safety.

If you were to describe me as teetotal, on behalf of my constituency I'd have to sue; that would lose me every vote in the Highlands.

I'm a lifelong believer in trade unionism.

We actually believe in hope. But hope requires purpose. And purpose requires direction.

Quality of life actually begins at home - it's in your street, around your community.

Professionally I would say taking up my constituents' problems is something I continue to enjoy after 22 years as an MP.

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.

I'm a fully paid-up member of the human race.

Westminster is a jungle - and the hunter can always smell fear on its prey.

You won't catch Liberal Democrats describing trade unionists as wreckers.

With 24-hour news ... the story moves on with the media.

I happen to consider myself a Highlander even before a Scot; I am proud to be British yet feel comfortable as a European citizen.

I don't want a headline saying 'Kennedy suggests this or implies that.'

It is true that I entered parliament at the age of 23, and have now been representing the people of my constituency for over twenty years.

Gratification and happiness are becoming important measures of our quality of life.

We all accept the world would be safer without Saddam's baleful dictatorship.

Labour politicians for generations have fought to bring democracy to the House of Lords.

Actually, I think it's quite sensible not to take yourself too seriously.

Speaking to numerous teachers and nurses, I am consistently struck by the sense of mission they have about their work.

I believe that our country is a richer, more vibrant society precisely because it is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society.

Politicians are good at saying how Government must do more, but we must also think carefully about where Government should do less.

People have a huge desire to be listened to, for politicians to take the time to understand their problems.

Decentralisation is controversial - but that's fine. We should be fearless about having a debate.

The most special relationships, in my experience, are based on a combination of trust and mutual respect.

It is my determination that we, as a party, continue to make that fundamental restatement of liberal values in the politics of our country.

As someone who has led his party through two general elections, I have not always been immune from feeling the pressure of electioneering tactics.

Public perception of the Westminster arena, with all its posturings, does little to engender a sense of voter belief.

Tony Blair took us to war in Iraq on the basis of the supposed threat of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.

Paddy Ashdown is the only party leader who's a trained killer. Although, to be fair, Mrs Thatcher was self taught.

Yes, you need substance in politics - but I think your style also says something about how you arrive at some of your conclusions.

We should have high expectations of our children, but politicians should not tell teachers how to meet them.

With every day that passes, David Blunkett becomes more insensitive in his language and more intemperate in his actions.

My approach is always to try to be straight with people, especially about what my party can achieve.

In my view, as a country we need to rediscover some of that skepticism about government and revisit that libertarian agenda.

It's our job as Liberal Democrats to be an effective opposition - and an increasingly tough one as well.

It is the government's fundamental duty to ensure the security of every individual citizen.

I am genuinely not an over-the-top kind of person about politics or anything else.

Politics is much too serious to be taken too seriously; equally, there are many aspects of it so laughable as to be lamentable.

Fair votes - fundamentally - are about the rights and the interests of the people.

To run an effective political party you need a degree of tribalism, it's the glue that holds everyone together.

Terror can never be defeated by force alone.

Valuing public servants would boost morale among those on the front line of implementing government policy.

When power is exercised exclusively at the centre, the result is rigidity of rules and alienation of the people subject to those rules.

We are no longer a nation of one church; we are a nation of many churches.

To be seen to be human, provided you're doing your job at the same time, is definitely not a negative, not at all.

We Liberal Democrats don't believe we should use the tax structure to champion just one type of family.

That 1983 general election contained the telltale seeds of eventual Scottish Tory self-destruction.

Politics means facing up to hard choices and facing down prejudice, short-termism, the easy, tempting court of knee-jerk public reaction.

I know from my own parents how important active older people are to a local community.

A smaller-size party and parliamentary membership does not necessarily equate to lesser demands; if anything, the opposite can be the case.

We have a Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales, both elected by fairer votes - involving proportional representation.

Democracy demands trust. It demands that sense of mutual understanding. And - it's a two way street. You've got to give - as much as you take.

Three simple words - freedom, justice and honesty. These sum up what the Liberal Democrats stand for.

I do think there is a great deal of caricature around the House of Commons. It is just that kind of place.

People are not stupid.

I find no contradiction between being a Highlander, a Scot, a citizen of the U.K. and a citizen of the European Union at one and the same time.

There is no satisfaction to be derived from having had many of our arguments borne out by events.

Many people want to scale back their working hours as they near the end of their careers, but not necessarily to give up work altogether.