November 6th,0 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal
Charles Kennedy is probably not a man many of you have heard of but in these times of fake news, constant lies, politicians being spawns of Satan he was a saint.
A Member of Parliament between 1983-2015 and leader of the Liberal Democrats between 1999-2006; Kennedy led the charge in 2002 against the illegal invasion of Iraq. For this invasion, he rightly claimed, there was no evidence, no support, and no justification. Whilst Tories and Labour MPs alike voted for this war Kennedy stood alone. Leading the Liberal Democrats as the real opposition party.
A man of principle and integrity. If you’re able to cast your mind back to the Lib Dem – Tory Coalition Kennedy stood alone in begging Nick Clegg, who clearly wanted to cling to some kind of power, to not enter into an alliance with a party with such different views.
Not only a man of principles. He was a winner. His anti-war stance took the Liberal Democrats from near destruction, to gaining 62 seats in the 2001 General Election. This was the most the Liberal party had gained since 1923. Let that sink in for a second. Now, thanks largely to the coalition he rallied against and Clegg’s unpopularity, the Liberal Democrats have 11 seats.
This is not a direct tribute to Charles Kennedy – the man had a lot of problems with alcohol which are well-documented and can be read on another website if you so choose. It’s a tribute to a time when politicians had beliefs, stuck to them, and debated them in a fair way. Now? Well, now we have yelling, fighting, jeering, fake news and we have Boris. Charles Kennedy was not interested in any of those things. He led peaceful marches, argued excellently in Parliament, and encouraged a great deal of support.
His death in 2015, at the terribly young age of 55, was a reflection of his health issues. He had also just seen his party reduced to just 3 seats, as he himself lost his own seat for the first time in more than 3 decades. This must have been devastating.
During these ridiculous times it can be comforting to remember that not ALL MPs are evil. Not all of them are greedy, self-serving narcissists and not all of them lie constantly.
… But most are.
Ignorantly Ignorant 