Posted June 2, 201510 yr Profoundly upsetting. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scot...litics-32970337
June 2, 201510 yr Desperately sad news. I followed his career from the very beginning. The day after the 1983 election, I went out in the afternoon to get some shopping, believing that the Alliance had won 22 seats. I got back to find that they had won a 23rd. With the internet yet to be invented, I had to use Ceefax to find out where that 23rd seat was. It came as a bit of a shock when I subsequently found out that the new MP was only a few months older than I was. He was the only new SDP MP elected that day. The other five had previously won their seats as Labour candidates. All the other Alliance gains were by Liberal candidates. For that reason, he always had a special place in the hearts of SDP members at the time. His lack of association with the Labour party meant that he was accepted by Liberals more readily than many SDP members were. His ability to speak human meant that people tended to forget that he had never had a proper job outside politics. He was still a student (in the US) when he was first elected. When I read, just after the election, that his father had died at the start of the campaign, I hoped that there was somebody with him to give him support. Sadly, it looks like he has probably been alone for most of the last few weeks. RIP Charles.
June 2, 201510 yr yes, terrible news. I admired and liked him for his integrity, his humanity, his wit, his humility, virtually unique amongst the Westminster crowd. It's no co-incidence that the rise of the Lib-dems was under his leadership, because he spoke to ordinary people as if he was not a "professional" politician and represented what politics should be about: people that care about ordinary people, those without power and money. Other politicians could do with taking a leaf out of his book. Very few do.
June 2, 201510 yr Brillant politican - one of the good guys - gutted when i heard this. The most successful liberal leader since Lloyd George!
June 2, 201510 yr Such a tragic loss. He was one of the few Lib Dems who still had principals and a back bone after 2010
June 2, 201510 yr Alastair Campbell has written a lovely tribute http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/2015/...a-shared-enemy/
June 2, 201510 yr Didn't realise his da died only a few months ago :( Yes, right at the start of the election campaign :( He was rushed to hospital in March. That was the day Charles was on Question Time. A lot of people thought he was drunk. I could see something was wrong, but I didn't think he was drunk. It turns out that he heard about his father being taken to hospital just before the recording started.
June 2, 201510 yr Yeh that makes sense he did seem drunk the way he sat etc. Great wee blog by Campbell!
June 2, 201510 yr Alastair Campbell has written a lovely tribute http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/2015/...a-shared-enemy/ that is a very lovely tribute, and makes the loss even more heartfelt.
June 2, 201510 yr I'm slightly too young to have known too much about him before I came to Glasgow where he was rector, but he's the only politician I've met (just over a year ago) and he was genuinely inspiring.
June 1, 20223 yr Seven years ago today :( So much of what has happened since underlines what a loss to British politics he was.
June 1, 20223 yr Most successful (in terms of seats) and principled Lib Dem leader ever especially with opposition to Irag war which was correct. Less said about the charlatan who replaced him the better.
June 2, 20223 yr You mean Clegg? Coz Ming came first and I will not stand for no mighty Ming slander :lol: (Vince cable was before Clegg too I think?)
June 2, 20223 yr Oh sorry - forgot about mighty Ming! How could I have even? :P Cable was after Clegg and then Farron. He was a slow burner but was getting good results until Jo Swinson messed things up. Edited June 2, 20223 yr by Smint
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