Charles Kennedy

Charles Kennedy ( born November 25, 1959 in Inverness ) was dated 9 August 1999 to 7 January 2006, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third largest party in Britain. In the general election of 5 May 2005, he joined against the incumbent Prime Minister Tony Blair of the Labour Party and the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Michael Howard, to. Despite votes and seat gains for his party he failed to prevent further absolute majority for the Labour Party. His Liberal Democrats remained the third largest party in the British political landscape. Kennedy resigned on 7 January 2006, after he had come under pressure because he had publicly admitted his alcohol problems.

Life

Charles Kennedy received his degree at the Lochaber High School and studied political science and philosophy at the University of Glasgow after. There he began to become politically active. He was there President of the Glasgow University Union and came into the limelight because they do not women allowed as the last organization of its kind, as members; reluctantly he left after strong public pressure to abolish this scheme. A short time later he became a member of the Social Democratic Party SDP.

He then worked for the BBC Highland as a journalist and, after some time, a research scholarship that brought him to the Indiana University in the United States.

Political career

While he was staying in the U.S., Kennedy was nominated by his party as a candidate for the constituency of Ross, Cromarty and Skye. This he won in the elections of 1983 and moved the youngest one deputy to the lower house. His seat he defended in four other general election.

End of the 80s, the SDP and the Liberals, who had already formed an alliance united to form a new party, the Social and Liberal Democratic Party first called, and was later renamed the Liberal Democrats. He held various functions in the parliament for the party. He also served from 1990 to 1994 chairman of the party.

Party presidency

Following the resignation of Paddy Ashdown, Charles Kennedy was elected in three rival candidates as the new Chairman of the Liberal Democrats on 9 August 1999. Kennedy is attested a more restrained style of leadership compared to its predecessor. Although he is sometimes dismissed as a lightweight, opinion polls prove his positive assessment as party leader and potential prime minister for many Britons.

Even Kennedy is seeking to break his party and the rise of the second strongest force in parliament. At the first general election under his leadership, the Liberal Democrats won added 1.5 percent of the vote and gained 18.5 percent and 52 seats in parliament. Due to the UK's election system, the Liberal Democrats focus their strategy on the profit promising constituencies, especially those that are held by the Conservatives. But his party also tried to benefit from disgruntled votes Labour supporters, particularly by opponents of the Iraq war. In some elections his party was successful.

In the general election on 5 May 2005, he managed to increase the share of votes of his party by more than three percent and gain some seats for the Liberal Democrats. Nevertheless, his party clearly defeated remained behind the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, the third force in the political system of the United Kingdom. The goal of government involvement could not be achieved because of the new absolute majority of the Labour Party under Prime Minister Tony Blair.

On January 7, 2006 Kennedy announced that he would no longer want to stand in the forthcoming elections for the party presidency, after he had come under pressure within the party because of his confession to have alcohol problems. He was succeeded by Sir Walter Menzies Campbell.

Private life

Charles Kennedy married Sarah Gurling in July 2002. 2005, her son was born.

In reports of poor health in Kennedy during the Iraq and budget debates 2003 Alcohol problems were suspected, but this turned out to be largely unfounded. To forestall further speculation, Kennedy admits in a press conference on 5 January 2006 that he was doing a for alcoholism for 18 months.