Poor Charles Kennedy!
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[QUOTE=equus]There is an inherent difference in the jobs Kate Moss and Charles Kennedy hold!! In the case of Kate Moss it all depends on her appearence in the case of Charles Kennedy his duty was to function intellectually.
There is also the fact that they are both someone's parent, child and partner...
am i wrong in thinking that Kennedy has Publicly admitted it which is different to starting to do something about it - is his private battle is unreported as yet?
There is also the fact that they are both someone's parent, child and partner...
am i wrong in thinking that Kennedy has Publicly admitted it which is different to starting to do something about it - is his private battle is unreported as yet?
1 bite&all resistance crumbles
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: IRELAND
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Yes I am actually now not feeling sorry for him!! he is not a very good example actually. He lied and lied for all those years and now he is like 'I am going to drink less'
Pathetic.
Typical alcoholic in denial.
Pathetic.
Typical alcoholic in denial.
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Location: uk
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In fairness Cathy he did say he isn't intended on drinking in the future in his recent statement.
I'm struggling to feel supportive of him - I can't support his current actions, or even fully the content of his statement. But I don't wish him personal harm, he's in an influential position I hope he acts with less self interest and more awareness of that. To be able to do that I think he needs a degree of confidence in himself as more than just a party leader.
This thread is making me think lots!!
I'm struggling to feel supportive of him - I can't support his current actions, or even fully the content of his statement. But I don't wish him personal harm, he's in an influential position I hope he acts with less self interest and more awareness of that. To be able to do that I think he needs a degree of confidence in himself as more than just a party leader.
This thread is making me think lots!!
1 bite&all resistance crumbles
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Posts: 2,208
Originally Posted by equus
In fairness Cathy he did say he isn't intended on drinking in the future in his recent statement.
I'm struggling to feel supportive of him - I can't support his current actions, or even fully the content of his statement. But I don't wish him personal harm, he's in an influential position I hope he acts with less self interest and more awareness of that. To be able to do that I think he needs a degree of confidence in himself as more than just a party leader.
This thread is making me think lots!!
I'm struggling to feel supportive of him - I can't support his current actions, or even fully the content of his statement. But I don't wish him personal harm, he's in an influential position I hope he acts with less self interest and more awareness of that. To be able to do that I think he needs a degree of confidence in himself as more than just a party leader.
This thread is making me think lots!!
(I read about the drinking less on the bbc link further back)
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what you have to rember is that anything that is said in public is firstly written by a civil servant, then is spun by countless PR people before it is read. If his "people" say it is better to state drinking less then the masses will not give it a second thought. However, if they say he is at AA 4 times a week and struggling on step 2 - how many people would understand???
Whatever he does, for whatever reason, firstly we would only ever hear the edited highlights... secondly give the guy some praise for acknowledging his problem, even if it comes in a way that we do not accept
Whatever he does, for whatever reason, firstly we would only ever hear the edited highlights... secondly give the guy some praise for acknowledging his problem, even if it comes in a way that we do not accept
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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In Canada, the long serving premier of the province of Alberta, Ralph Klein, had long been rumored to be an excessive drinker.
There's this incredible story, and I can't remember the dates exactly, but a bit of googling should turn up an article or two...
Seems one night after a banquet, our Ralph instructed his driver to take him to the Salvation Army, where he proceeded to give a lecture to the men assembled in the common room there. I believe the reports of the incident quoted a few of the residents at the Sally that night as saying 'old Ralphie just did a version of the drunken 3 A.M phone call in person'.
Again, I can't really remember the details, but I believe some kind of news conference ensued in the coming days, where Mister klein spoke about his relationship with alcohol.
The point of this anecdote...
In Canada, and more precisely Western Canada, the plebes cut their politicians a lot of slack on certain issues.
Ralph will probably be returned to office with a majority, if it hasn't happened already.
Now, were he to come out in favor of gun control, well, he'd be bagging groceries at Safeway before month's end
There's this incredible story, and I can't remember the dates exactly, but a bit of googling should turn up an article or two...
Seems one night after a banquet, our Ralph instructed his driver to take him to the Salvation Army, where he proceeded to give a lecture to the men assembled in the common room there. I believe the reports of the incident quoted a few of the residents at the Sally that night as saying 'old Ralphie just did a version of the drunken 3 A.M phone call in person'.
Again, I can't really remember the details, but I believe some kind of news conference ensued in the coming days, where Mister klein spoke about his relationship with alcohol.
The point of this anecdote...
In Canada, and more precisely Western Canada, the plebes cut their politicians a lot of slack on certain issues.
Ralph will probably be returned to office with a majority, if it hasn't happened already.
Now, were he to come out in favor of gun control, well, he'd be bagging groceries at Safeway before month's end
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I like Charles Kennedy. I voted for him in the last election whilst knowing he was probably an alcoholic but, to be honest, that made n odifference to me. Winston Churchhill is considered out country's greatest priminister and he drank as much as I did when I was at my worst. It is probably affecting Charles' abilities but I still prefer him over Davies or Blair...I just hope this doesn't damage the Librals as a party.
I'm glad to hear he's seeking help...he may have denied it from the public but if he sought treatment he's not in denial, he was just trying to keep it secret.
It's sad how everyone thinks you're scum of the earth if you're an alcoholic.
I'm glad to hear he's seeking help...he may have denied it from the public but if he sought treatment he's not in denial, he was just trying to keep it secret.
It's sad how everyone thinks you're scum of the earth if you're an alcoholic.
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Originally Posted by Cathy31
Well anyone has to be better than that shiny Davies!!!
And Tony Blair is a total dote (angel) long may he reign!
And Tony Blair is a total dote (angel) long may he reign!
I would've like tony blair if it wasn't how he behaved during the war and his ideas about foundation hospitals.
1 bite&all resistance crumbles
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Don't mention the war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
Yes, I didn't agree with the war, but you know Blair is prime minister and it's for him to make decisions. I think he was led by real moral and christian ideologies. Just like Bush, who I actually quite like too or much the same reasons!
Yes, I didn't agree with the war, but you know Blair is prime minister and it's for him to make decisions. I think he was led by real moral and christian ideologies. Just like Bush, who I actually quite like too or much the same reasons!
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If anyone's interested in hearing the, *ahem*, 'debate' on the Radio Two web site, here's the link. I think it will be active for 7 days.
HERE
Click listen again - it's the first hour of the programme, where you can hear the informed and the not-so informed blather on.
Star of the show is an ex-news reader chap who reallyhad his head screwed on, imo. His little piece just after 45 mins is well worth listening to.
- Phillips
HERE
Click listen again - it's the first hour of the programme, where you can hear the informed and the not-so informed blather on.
Star of the show is an ex-news reader chap who reallyhad his head screwed on, imo. His little piece just after 45 mins is well worth listening to.
- Phillips
Last edited by Phillips; 01-06-2006 at 07:33 AM. Reason: 'cos I'm dumb!
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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So far I haven't heard Kennedy say that he is an alcoholic. He has only said that he has had a drink problem. Which makes him the same as a large proportion of the UK
I also believe that the rumours about drinking that started several years ago were partly influenced by the stereotype of the drunk Scot. The rest of the country forgets that it likes its drink just as much as us Scots. When I moved out of Scotland I had to battle the stereotype of the drunk tight fisted Scot. 18 months later it still comes up despite the fact that no work colleagues have ever seen me take a drink.
Bottom line: many people will right Kennedy off. But I have no doubts that he drinks as much as many A) politicians B) other professionals C) the rest of the country that binges 5 nights a week and D) he probably takes less drugs than the rest of Whitehall.
I also believe that the rumours about drinking that started several years ago were partly influenced by the stereotype of the drunk Scot. The rest of the country forgets that it likes its drink just as much as us Scots. When I moved out of Scotland I had to battle the stereotype of the drunk tight fisted Scot. 18 months later it still comes up despite the fact that no work colleagues have ever seen me take a drink.
Bottom line: many people will right Kennedy off. But I have no doubts that he drinks as much as many A) politicians B) other professionals C) the rest of the country that binges 5 nights a week and D) he probably takes less drugs than the rest of Whitehall.
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Originally Posted by Cathy31
As one journalist said, the irony is that if he had remained a CLOSET alkie, he would have been better off.
That's just terrible. I mean in this day and age people are so ignorant about alcoholism - I mean, it's like addiction is perceived as WORSE much worse than any kind of moral failing!!! Poor guy, I wonder if people will ever become less judgmental and less ignorant about this condition.Horrible.
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What I find most sickening about this story is that it was his former press secretary - now ITV chief political correspondent - who was set to leak the story
'Blonde assassin' who was behind Kennedy downfall Saturday January 7, 03:00 AM
IF ANYONE knew enough about Charles Kennedy to "out" his secret demons, it would be Daisy McAndrew, 33, his former spin doctor, who is now ITV's chief political correspondent.
And yesterday she was dubbed the "blonde assassin" for her role in forcing Mr Kennedy to make a statement about his drinking problem.
Sources close to Mrs McAndrew smarted at the label, claiming she had never set out to betray her former boss.
She used contacts among senior Liberal Democrats to compile a report disclosing
the damaging allegations about his alcohol problem and had even alerted his office about it ahead of broadcasting her scoop.
But in an act of revenge, Mr Kennedy scuppered her scoop by outing himself on television to rival broadcasters.
At a press conference, Mr Kennedy claimed that his battle with booze had plagued him for 18 months.
This is a statement that will probably be challenged by those in the know.
Mrs McAndrew witnessed Mr Kennedy's drinking first-hand, and in the two years ahead of the 2001 election she covered up his weakness.
When asked during a television interview why Mr Kennedy's breath often smelt of alcohol, she replied unconvincingly: "Charlie uses a breath freshener with alcohol in it."
Daisy Sampson - as she was known before marrying John McAndrew, who is now Sky's executive producer - entered the House of Commons as a researcher aged 19 before working as a freelance contributor to The House Magazine, Westminster's in-house publication, which she went on to edit.
It was here that she met Mr Kennedy. When, in 1999, he asked her to become his press secretary, she initially turned him down as she did not want to ruin their friendship. She eventually changed her mind.
"I wanted to find out whether stories were the result of ****-ups or conspiracies," she explained in a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday.
She said that the hardest part of her new post was "taking on a friend" while working for him.
"As a media adviser, I had to be his hardest critic. I had to tell him when his speech was rubbish, even when everyone else was being sycophantic to him. It was my job to put the boot in, and that was tough because he's a lovely man."
Despite their professed friendship, Mrs McAndrew did not invite Mr Kennedy to her wedding, although she had attended his.
She served as his spin doctor until after the 2001 election, when she moved on to a stint of broadcasting roles, including that of co-presenter on the BBC's The Daily Politics.
In one telling interview, she revealed that her trump card in getting stories was not getting as drunk as everyone else.
"I'd get all my best stories at party conferences at three in the morning, when everyone was propping up the bar, absolutely hammered," she said. "One of the hardest things was keeping up with everyone but not getting so drunk you couldn't remember the story the next day. I spent the whole time running to the loo to jot down notes in my pad."
Despite her competence as a broadcaster, eyebrows were raised in Westminster circles when she landed the job of chief political correspondent for ITV.
Speculation is now rife as to whether she promised her bosses scoops, or whether they exerted pressure on her to "turn over" her best contact.
Perhaps Mr Kennedy should have been worried long before this week's revelations: Mrs McAndrew once harboured ambitions to be a spy.
She only switched to journalism after finding out she would have to speak several languages fluently in espionage.
Mrs McAndrew said she reasoned: "Well, they [journalists] sometimes end up becoming spies."
And like spooks, they sometimes end up working for the other side.
'Blonde assassin' who was behind Kennedy downfall Saturday January 7, 03:00 AM
IF ANYONE knew enough about Charles Kennedy to "out" his secret demons, it would be Daisy McAndrew, 33, his former spin doctor, who is now ITV's chief political correspondent.
And yesterday she was dubbed the "blonde assassin" for her role in forcing Mr Kennedy to make a statement about his drinking problem.
Sources close to Mrs McAndrew smarted at the label, claiming she had never set out to betray her former boss.
She used contacts among senior Liberal Democrats to compile a report disclosing
the damaging allegations about his alcohol problem and had even alerted his office about it ahead of broadcasting her scoop.
But in an act of revenge, Mr Kennedy scuppered her scoop by outing himself on television to rival broadcasters.
At a press conference, Mr Kennedy claimed that his battle with booze had plagued him for 18 months.
This is a statement that will probably be challenged by those in the know.
Mrs McAndrew witnessed Mr Kennedy's drinking first-hand, and in the two years ahead of the 2001 election she covered up his weakness.
When asked during a television interview why Mr Kennedy's breath often smelt of alcohol, she replied unconvincingly: "Charlie uses a breath freshener with alcohol in it."
Daisy Sampson - as she was known before marrying John McAndrew, who is now Sky's executive producer - entered the House of Commons as a researcher aged 19 before working as a freelance contributor to The House Magazine, Westminster's in-house publication, which she went on to edit.
It was here that she met Mr Kennedy. When, in 1999, he asked her to become his press secretary, she initially turned him down as she did not want to ruin their friendship. She eventually changed her mind.
"I wanted to find out whether stories were the result of ****-ups or conspiracies," she explained in a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday.
She said that the hardest part of her new post was "taking on a friend" while working for him.
"As a media adviser, I had to be his hardest critic. I had to tell him when his speech was rubbish, even when everyone else was being sycophantic to him. It was my job to put the boot in, and that was tough because he's a lovely man."
Despite their professed friendship, Mrs McAndrew did not invite Mr Kennedy to her wedding, although she had attended his.
She served as his spin doctor until after the 2001 election, when she moved on to a stint of broadcasting roles, including that of co-presenter on the BBC's The Daily Politics.
In one telling interview, she revealed that her trump card in getting stories was not getting as drunk as everyone else.
"I'd get all my best stories at party conferences at three in the morning, when everyone was propping up the bar, absolutely hammered," she said. "One of the hardest things was keeping up with everyone but not getting so drunk you couldn't remember the story the next day. I spent the whole time running to the loo to jot down notes in my pad."
Despite her competence as a broadcaster, eyebrows were raised in Westminster circles when she landed the job of chief political correspondent for ITV.
Speculation is now rife as to whether she promised her bosses scoops, or whether they exerted pressure on her to "turn over" her best contact.
Perhaps Mr Kennedy should have been worried long before this week's revelations: Mrs McAndrew once harboured ambitions to be a spy.
She only switched to journalism after finding out she would have to speak several languages fluently in espionage.
Mrs McAndrew said she reasoned: "Well, they [journalists] sometimes end up becoming spies."
And like spooks, they sometimes end up working for the other side.
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