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The Great Gatsby
Hamlet

Free Literature Study Guides
The Great Gatsby
Hamlet

Charles Kennedy Quotes

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

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

When human rights are systematically abused, it raises the question whether it may be legitimate in some circumstances for the international community to intervene within individual states as well as in conflicts between states.

– Charles Kennedy

Of all the principles which constitute Liberal Democracy, internationalism is the clearest, the most distinctive, and the one with the longest history.

– Charles Kennedy

The quicker we get rid of the lobby system the better for all of us. I don’t think in this day and age it is tenable to have these nods and winks, and on-the-record and off-the-record briefings.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

It would be a tragedy if the remarkable international coalition against terrorism, successfully marshalled in the aftermath of 11 September, were to fragment over a unilateral U.S. strike against Baghdad.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

To involve young people and make sure that the system is more relevant to them in Scotland, we have a clear obligation to implement a policy of home rule.

– Charles Kennedy

We believe that government in Britain is there to protect people from terrorism and from the worst criminality, but never at the expense of our civil liberties and the basic tenets of our legal system.

– Charles Kennedy

Some ministers are fond of talking about a return to Victorian values. We must realise that those Victorian values are being expressed by some of the younger people in this society in shameful and disturbing disregard for other members of their generation who are not as fortunate as they are in having a job.

– Charles Kennedy

Liberal Democracy is all about extending choice. Give people the option to decide their retirement age, and you immediately extend their freedom in a very significant way.

– Charles Kennedy

Further Education should be about the ability to learn, not the ability to pay – everyone who is able should have the opportunity, regardless of their family background. I don’t want to see students struggling with huge debts or frightened off even going to university in the first place.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

We Liberal Democrats believe in dialogue. We believe in cooperation with both sides of industry and between both sides of industry. And we believe in the language of cooperation. We reject the language of confrontation.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

Music and politics are in essence about communication. Without over-stretching the analogy I do feel a sense of rhythm is important in getting your message across.

– Charles Kennedy

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.

– Charles Kennedy

I believe that access to a university education should be based on the ability to learn, not what people can afford. I think there is no more nauseating a sight than politicians pulling up the ladder of opportunity behind them.

– Charles Kennedy

A perennial problem that has faced the Scottish Highlands is that, time and again, too many of the more talented young people have had to move elsewhere – even abroad – through a lack of opportunities that should have been available.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

I did not dwell on the issue of Europe during either the 2001 or the 2005 campaigns – despite it being a pivotal personal concern and despite seeing it as something of a litmus test for liberal democracy.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

As Liberal Democrats and proponents of federalism, we must put our heads above the parapet and recapture and disseminate the true meaning of federalism. We have to win the vocabulary before we succeed in the vision.

– Charles Kennedy

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.

– Charles Kennedy

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

– Charles Kennedy

A society which is liberal democratic cannot have public policy determined upon the basis of who has got the loudest voice – or who can brings things to a halt.

– Charles Kennedy

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