Charles Kennedy

Politics is much too serious to be taken too seriously; equally, there are many aspects of it so laughable as to be lamentable.

Three simple words - freedom, justice and honesty. These sum up what the Liberal Democrats stand for.

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.

Since the days of Greece and Rome, when the word 'citizen' was a title of honor, we have often seen more emphasis put on the rights of citizenship than on its responsibilities.

Most reporters who come to me get their stories directly from press releases. Very few do what one would consider to be their professional duty.

In my experience, great reviews almost always ensure no sales.