I happen to consider myself a Highlander even before a Scot; I am proud to be British yet feel comfortable as a European citizen.
— Charles Kennedy
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.
Valuing public servants would boost morale among those on the front line of implementing government policy.
New Labour needs to realise that family life and the way we raise our children are private matters.
The way to defeat international terrorism is through international cooperation based on international law, clear intelligence, and a measured and appropriate military response.
Decentralisation is controversial - but that's fine. We should be fearless about having a debate.
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.
I want our party to step up its efforts to reflect and champion the concerns of everybody who has reached the second half of their lives.
It's our job as Liberal Democrats to be an effective opposition - and an increasingly tough one as well.
We'll need to revise the tired assumption that people automatically become more conservative as they grow older.
Britain is a European power. We cannot change our geography. Our involvement in the politics of European cooperation is one of necessity. Our wealth and our security depend upon it.
Professionally I would say taking up my constituents' problems is something I continue to enjoy after 22 years as an MP.
I believe when the country feels threatened it is important that we are seen to be working together to find an appropriate structure for dealing with terrorists in our midst.
We Liberal Democrats don't believe we should use the tax structure to champion just one type of family.
Democracy demands trust. It demands that sense of mutual understanding. And - it's a two way street. You've got to give - as much as you take.
Quality of life actually begins at home - it's in your street, around your community.
We have a Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales, both elected by fairer votes - involving proportional representation.
Useful lessons can be learned from our more successful local authorities - as you move into government, it is even more imperative to communicate speedily and persuasively with your members and your voters.
In my view, as a country we need to rediscover some of that skepticism about government and revisit that libertarian agenda.
Speaking to numerous teachers and nurses, I am consistently struck by the sense of mission they have about their work.
When power is exercised exclusively at the centre, the result is rigidity of rules and alienation of the people subject to those rules.
The most special relationships, in my experience, are based on a combination of trust and mutual respect.
Those who use our public services should be able to deal directly with those who manage and deliver them.
Liberals have been committed to the principles of human rights, international stability, and international justice. They have also sought international solutions to those problems which have demanded collective attention.
Politics means facing up to hard choices and facing down prejudice, short-termism, the easy, tempting court of knee-jerk public reaction.
Many people want to scale back their working hours as they near the end of their careers, but not necessarily to give up work altogether.
I know from my own parents how important active older people are to a local community.
Terror can never be defeated by force alone.
The late Roy Jenkins was both a mentor and a personal friend. He was a man of both phenomenal intellect and political achievement in equal measure.
The terrorist seeks to smash the most fundamental liberty of all: the right to lead our everyday lives on the basic assumption of safety.
Gratification and happiness are becoming important measures of our quality of life.
A society which is liberal democratic cannot have public policy determined upon the basis of who has got the loudest voice - or who can brings things to a halt.
People have a huge desire to be listened to, for politicians to take the time to understand their problems.
I find no contradiction between being a Highlander, a Scot, a citizen of the U.K. and a citizen of the European Union at one and the same time.
In my view, nations together are stronger than when they are isolated. And because they are stronger, their people are more free, not less.
Westminster is a jungle - and the hunter can always smell fear on its prey.
No government body is more notorious for over-legislation than the Department of Trade and Industry.
Soon after the 1997 election, I argued that there was no inverse law of political gravity which said that everything which went down had to come back up.
We actually believe in hope. But hope requires purpose. And purpose requires direction.
When it comes to our public services, decentralisation means giving power back to those on the front line - our doctors, nurses, teachers and physiotherapists, and our locally elected officials.
Of all the principles which constitute Liberal Democracy, internationalism is the clearest, the most distinctive, and the one with the longest history.
Fair votes - fundamentally - are about the rights and the interests of the people.
Liberal Democracy is all about extending choice. Give people the option to decide their retirement age, and you immediately extend their freedom in a very significant way.
By common consent, most European countries support the maintenance of robust welfare states and are comfortable with taxation systems that support them.
Terrorism gravely threatens international peace and security, and as a solution, the power and apparent finality of force are seductive.
There is always a temptation for governments: see a problem and announce a quick fix.
Political parties need to look at the different kinds of support that people may need, suited to their way of life, and provide cost-effective solutions.
We are no longer a nation of one church; we are a nation of many churches.
Ours is a stable country. Ours is a sensible country. And ours is a fundamentally decent country.
I listened to the students on campus in Plymouth, worried about their steadily deepening debts and how on earth they would ever escape them.
