Home > Charles Kennedy

Born in Inverness, he was educated at Lochaber High School and went on to study for a Masters in Politics and Philosophy at the University of Glasgow. While at university he was elected president of Glasgow University Union and won the British Observer Mace university debating award. It was also at university that he became politically active, originally joining Glasgow University Labour Club before deciding to join the Social Democrats (SDP).

Upon graduation in 1982 he went to work for BBC Highland as a journalist, and later received a Fulbright Fellowship allowing him to carry out research at Indiana University in the United States.

While studying in America he also received the SDP nomination for the Scottish seat of Ross, Cromarty & Skye which he went on to win in 1983, becoming the youngest sitting member of parliament. He has retained the seat and its successor Ross, Skye & Inverness West at four subsequent general elections.

In the late 1980s the SDP and the Liberal Party, which had been co-operating in the SDP-Liberal AllianceUnited Kingdom 1981 The SDP-Liberal Alliance was an electoral alliance of the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the UK that ran from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later refer, merged to form the Social and Liberal Democratic Party, later renamed the Liberal Democrats.

On August 9August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. Events 48 BC Roman Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. 378 Battle of, 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep he was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats after the retirement of Paddy AshdownJeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon PC KBE (born 27 February 1941), invariably known as Paddy Ashdown is a British politician, who was leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 until 1999. He is now a life peer and is the intern.

In July 2002 Charles Kennedy married Sarah Gurling.

Reports of Kennedy's ill-health in 2003 at the time of crucial debates on IraqThe Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing the ancient region of Mesopotamia. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west and Iran to and the budget were linked to stories of his reputed alcoholismAlcoholism is an addictive dependency on alcohol characterised by craving (a strong need to drink); loss of control (being unable to stop); physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms; and tolerance (increasing difficulty of becoming drunk). 1820 Alcoholi

Although Kennedy has been dismissed as light weight by some observers as a result of his appearances on the satiricalSatire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. In Celtic societies, it was thought a bard's satire could have phys current-events panel game Have I Got News For You, opinion polls have shown him to be positively regarded as a party leader and potential Prime Minister by a significant fraction of the British electorate. Kennedy maintains the long standing aspiration for his party to break through to the status of official opposition. In this objective he has enjoyed mixed success. In terms of share of the popular vote in the 2001 General Election, the Liberal Democrats fell short of the Conservative Party by a margin of ten percentage points, contrasting with the deficit of just two percentage points the SDP/Liberal Alliance achieved relative to the opposition Labour Party in 1983. However, Kennedy has focussed the Party's regional campaigning in such a way as to turn a lower level of national support into a greater number of Parliamentary seats. He has proposed to extend this strategy at the next general election to target the seats held by the most senior and/or highly regarded Conservative MPs in the hope of supplanting the Conservatives as official opposition by the " decapitation" of their party in Parliament.