BREAKING NEWS! Charles Kennedy to give personal statement at 17:45

Liberal Democrats leader is to make a personal statement at 17:45.

Could it be Charles Kennedy is going to step down? the knives have been out awhile in the Lib Dems camp.

[edit on 5-1-2006 by infinite]

Links to news sources?

I can't see anything on SkyNews or BBC News at the moment about a personal statement.

I'm not calling you a lier, I was just wondering where I could have a read.

edit: I just saw a scrolling headline on BBC News, but the link takes the viewer to a current article commenting about the general story.



[edit on 5-1-2006 by UK Wizard]

Sure UK Wizard





www.sky.com...

Believed he is going to call for a vote of confidence.

Ok there's finally a proper news page about it all.



I have a feeling he'll stand down and a new leadership contest will form, lets face it he's basically been hounded to death to quit in the last few days.

edit: argh, you beat me too it


[edit on 5-1-2006 by UK Wizard]

I have a feeling he'll stand down and a new leadership contest will form, lets face it he's basically been hounded to death to quit in the last few days.

Remember IDS and what happened to him when the Tories had enough? this reminds me of that.

Originally posted by infinite
Remember IDS and what happened to him when the Tories had enough? this reminds me of that.

I have a feeling that the Liberal Democrats in general want a more charismatic leader, someone to rival Cameron and Blair.
Their fed up being viewed as the ''protest/smaller 3rd party'' to the two main parties and want to really have a go at becoming more.

Whether they ever achieve ''more than the 3rd party status'' I doubt it.

[edit on 5-1-2006 by UK Wizard]

Whether they ever achieve ''more than the 3rd party status'' I doubt it.

Hmmm, i dont know to behonest. Alot will have to happen for them to break into the main two parties, they will have to radically change their values and policies.

Half of the Liberal Democrats shadow cabinet have signed a letter asking Charles Kennedy to quit.

Breaking on sky...

okay, now they are reporting he will admit he is seeking treatement for alcoholism.

its all coming out quick now :S

[edit on 5-1-2006 by infinite]

Confirmed.

He will call for a leadership contest

I suppose if Kennedy is an alcoholic (or an untreated ex-alcoholic) that is something that changes everything......and one can only wonder what has happened since all those denials about his drinking last year to have prompted around half his 'shadow cabinet' - minus the 3 expected to stand for the LibDem leadership - to write a letter calling for him to step aside.

On the otherhand if he is not and considering he led the LibDems to the best result in almost a century then I must admit I am surprised 'the knives are out' so viciously and persistently for him.

Cor, no sooner are the hols over than we get a tory leader publicly claiming to be interested in wealth redistribution and the most successful Lib in years in deep trouble; it never stay quiet for long here eh?


Edit after his statement to add - Kennedy admits treatment for an alcoholism problem and in the light of this calls a new leadership election to give the party members a say.
I wonder, something tells me this stuff is pure poison and I can't see him winning......but I do admire his honesty and bravery in this.





[edit on 5-1-2006 by sminkeypinkey]

Brave man. Got my respect

He has requested a leadership contest.

news.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 5-1-2006 by infinite]

It's a funny thing and as usual not a straightforward black and white thing, on the one hand I agree that he has shown courage and honesty in this now but for months (a couple of years?) he has continually denied he had a drink problem even when directly asked.

Apparantly (according to the BBC's lunchtime news show today) people at Westminster knew and covered for him but the LibDem membership 'out in the country' probably heard little beyond the repeated denials.
Those are now shown to be outright lies and that (along with any coming opinion poll movement) is what may well sink him when it comes to this possible leadership vote.

Blair lied about going to war and Kennedy lied about a drinking problem.

Kennedy is the one being asked to step down.

Cruel world we live in.

news.bbc.co.uk...

24 MPs have signed a new motion to ask Charles Kennedy and is believed to be 20 MPs are threaten to walk cause of this.

He has justed stated that he is not resigning tonight

Charles Kennedy resigned today -

In a statement at Lib Dem HQ, Mr Kennedy said he had been "inundated" with support from party members since admitting having a drink problem.

But it had become clear he did not have strong enough support among MPs and had decided to quit with immediate effect.

It comes after 25 MPs delivered an ultimatum saying they would refuse to serve on the Lib Dem front bench unless he resigned by Monday.

news.bbc.co.uk...

- So, the LibDems show themselves to be just as ruthless as any of the other parties (which they always were but liked, I think, to imply they weren't).

It'll be interesting over the next couple of years to see if this will see LibDem fortunes decline and matters revert to more of a straight 2-way fight between Labour and tory.

Sad ending to his leadership..

- So, the LibDems show themselves to be just as ruthless as any of the other parties (which they always were but liked, I think, to imply they weren't).

As the old saying goes, "we are all bad as eachother"

It'll be interesting over the next couple of years to see if this will see LibDem fortunes decline and matters revert to more of a straight 2-way fight between Labour and tory.

hmmm...im not sure, i think it will stay a three party race, they have the potential to break the 100 seat mark at the next general election. But its very unlikely they will break into the two top party scene.

I’m sad to see Kennedy’s leadership end. Although he did lie about his alcohol problem, I still view him as a man with a down to earth integrity not found often in a politician. You got the impression that he really meant what he said; it wasn’t just the usual bull# to get a few votes, then ‘compromise a little on that view, given the present circumstances…’ etc.

He felt that the alcohol problem was his problem, which he would solve with his family. The party weren’t happy with his performance so used this to metaphorically stab him in the back, after the leaps forward he helped the party take not so long ago.

This seems identical to football management, where the fans memories are just as short. Take a loosing team and win three seasons in a row and the fans get used to winning, so loose a few games and your often out the door.

Personally I think the lib dems will live to regret this move, and with the tories possibly finding their feet again, I can see them slipping back a good bit.

I am sorry to see him go. He has gained my respect in recent years. Particularly in regards to his stance on the Iraq War, he never backed down despite being laughed at. He stood his ground and proved he was right. He forsaw the problems in Iraq, he obviously gave the invasion and its impact on Britain and on Iraq some thought which is more than can be said for Blair and Howard. That shows integrity.
He admitted to his problem and faced the Lions den that also shows integrity. Few politicians have this trait!

It is also a well known fact that the Houses of Parliament run on alcohol with long boozey lunches and free bars.

Originally posted by Shaz20
I am sorry to see him go.

- He's not really going, he'll still be around as an MP and no doubt, as one with a 'telegenic' manner and good public profile, seen publicly on TV and heard on radio quite a bit.

He forsaw the problems in Iraq, he obviously gave the invasion and its impact on Britain and on Iraq some thought which is more than can be said for Blair and Howard.

- Oh come on.
You might disagree with their decisions on going to war but you can't possibly seriously claim that only Kennedy gave the invasion and it's impact on Britain etc etc "some thought".

He admitted to his problem and faced the Lions den that also shows integrity.

- Er, well he did repeatedly deny it and lie about it for quite some time you know?

Few politicians have this trait!

- Well one can debate the merits of and his 'right' to try and keep this private but to be fair they do tend to jump when their 'foibles' are set to be exposed rather than wait to be pushed.

Much as I admire Kennedy coming out and admitting his problems over this you can't ignore the rest of what was going on either and with nearly half his Parliamentary party (including, most enormously damagingly, 13 of his own shadow cabinet) set to publicly state that they were not prepared to work with him was one hell of an incentive for him to go public and come clean.

Whatever is claimed about privacy the fact is that this came out because the game was, most definetly, 'up'.

It is also a well known fact that the Houses of Parliament run on alcohol with long boozey lunches and free bars.

- You may well be correct about the long lunches (but then that is typical of how things get done in much of the world) but the "free bars" comment is simply not true.

In any event there is a world of difference between drinking and alcoholism.

Some have pointed out that great historical figures like Churchill won a world war on a huge intake of champagne, brandy and whisky, Charles Kennedy's problem (for all his genuine charm and likeable-ness) is that he was in no way anything like a Churchill for the LibDems.



[edit on 8-1-2006 by sminkeypinkey]