Charles Kennedy Quotes
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The government's instinct is to shroud itself in secrecy - to act like the office of a president instead of as a collective cabinet government held to account by the elected House of Commons.
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I'm not someone who dwells upon past events, taking the view that life is too short.
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We believe that government in Britain is there to protect people from terrorism and from the worst criminality, but never at the expense of our civil liberties and the basic tenets of our legal system.
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During my campaign, people of my age and younger said consistently that they would not vote because their votes simply no longer matter and because no government or member of Parliament cared a whit about their problems and their striving for employment.
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The one thing we can all be sure about in politics is you are as well to expect the unexpected.
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The way to defeat international terrorism is through international cooperation based on international law, clear intelligence, and a measured and appropriate military response.
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The House of Lords has many fine aspects, but at its heart, it is a betrayal of the core democratic principle that those in the enlightened world hold so dear - that those who make the laws of the land should be elected by those who must obey those laws.
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Good political leadership for me involves getting the big decisions right - however difficult, however controversial, however potentially divisive - and then being able to take people with you.
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I'm a fully paid-up member of the human race.
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Courage is a peculiar kind of fear.
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To run an effective political party you need a degree of tribalism, it's the glue that holds everyone together.
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Public perception of the Westminster arena, with all its posturings, does little to engender a sense of voter belief.
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Professionally I would say taking up my constituents' problems is something I continue to enjoy after 22 years as an MP.
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'Federalism', in the context of political and media usage in Britain, has come to mean the creation and imposition of a European superstate, one centralised in Brussels.
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You won't catch Liberal Democrats describing trade unionists as wreckers.
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Fair votes - fundamentally - are about the rights and the interests of the people.
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The growing influence of focus groups means we are all in danger of being excessively cowed by their feedback.
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Those who use our public services should be able to deal directly with those who manage and deliver them.
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Ours is a stable country. Ours is a sensible country. And ours is a fundamentally decent country.
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By common consent, most European countries support the maintenance of robust welfare states and are comfortable with taxation systems that support them.
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Politics is much too serious to be taken too seriously; equally, there are many aspects of it so laughable as to be lamentable.
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We need a liberal agenda in which government resists the temptation to interfere in the lives of individuals but is equally determined to play an active role where creative action can advance the liberties of all.
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When human rights are systematically abused, it raises the question whether it may be legitimate in some circumstances for the international community to intervene within individual states as well as in conflicts between states.
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Actually, I think it's quite sensible not to take yourself too seriously.