{UAH} LIBERAL LEADER CHARLES KENNEDY DIED OF ALCOHOLISM

WBK,

This is a very sad end to the life of Mr Charles Kennedy. Finally, he
could not escape the stranglehold of alcohol. As a former alcoholic
myself, I know the man fought a titanic battle against the booze, but
could not win, like so many thousands of other intellectuals and
politicians before him. When alcohol captures your body and soul, most
times there is only one winner. It requires super human effort to
defeat alcohol dependency. In fact you can't defeat it. Even today, on
the very anniversary of my stopping consumption of all alcoholic
drinks in 2007, I still feel strong urges to drink, so I am not a
teetotaler. I only take every day at a time, and when I wake up in
the morning having not drank the night before, that is a very huge
milestone in my battle against the illness. The challenges of life
after alcohol is sometimes too huge for many people to contemplate,
because you have to be prepared to be born again, to loose all your
old friends, interests and habits and then to begin to build
completely new ones. I think Mr Kennedy could not manage this. He had
become so dependent that his body could not cope without alcohol. It
is a sad ending for a man I knew personally and who tried his best to
recruit me into his party.

George Okello


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Charles Kennedy Charles Kennedy death caused by alcoholism, family
says Postmortem examination finds former Liberal Democrat leader died
of major haemorrhage and makes clear it was the result of drinking

Charles Kennedy, whose family expressed their gratitude to all those
who had tried to help him with his illness. Photograph: Rex
Shutterstock Severin Carrell Scotland correspondent

Friday 5 June 2015 15.06 BST Last modified on Friday 5 June 2015 17.16 BST
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Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrat leader, died suddenly
after suffering a major haemorrhage caused by his ongoing alcohol
abuse, his family has disclosed.

In a short statement issued on Friday, the family said the postmortem
examination had confirmed that the death of Kennedy, aged 55, at home
in Caol, near Fort William, on Monday "was a consequence of his battle
with alcoholism".

Related:
More on this topicCharles Kennedy: from bright young MP to peripheral
party figure

The statement, compiled with the help of Kennedy's close friend and
former Labour communications director Alastair Campbell, added: "We
are grateful to the many friends and also medical experts who sought
to help down the years but ultimately this was an illness Charles
could not conquer despite all the efforts he and others made."

Kennedy's body was discovered by his partner, Carole MacDonald, the
widow of one of his oldest and closest friends, Murdo MacDonald, late
on Monday evening at his home. He left a 10-year-old son, Donald, his
former wife, Sarah Gurling, a brother, Ian, who lived next door on the
family croft, and sister, Isobel.

"Charles's family would first like to thank the public and politicians
who have been so warm in their tributes to him and so sincere in their
concern for us," the statement said. "We have been touched beyond
measure by the outpouring of warmth for a man whose loss we will feel
deeply forever.

"The pain we feel has been at least eased somewhat by the reaction of
so many people across Scotland, the UK and beyond, and by the
affection expressed by politicians across the spectrum. It has become
all too apparent to us how much Charles meant to so many people and
how many lives he touched."

Facebook Twitter Pinterest MPs in the House of Commons pay tribute to
Kennedy. The statement continued: "We have now been informed by the
office of the procurator fiscal of the findings of the postmortem.
Charles's death was caused by a major haemorrhage and the report makes
clear this was a consequence of his battle with alcoholism."

The family said they were making final arrangements for Kennedy's
funeral, which is expected to be a private event, followed by public
commemorations.

Kennedy's death, three weeks after he lost the parliamentary seat of
Ross, Skye and Lochaber he had held for 32 years to the Scottish
National party, stunned the political establishment, uniting allies
and opponents in their shock and distress.

Donald and his mother, who divorced Kennedy in 2010, attended a
special session in the House of Commons on Wednesday where David
Cameron led tributes to the former Lib Dem leader, who had been
elected to parliament aged 23.

The prime minister said Kennedy was the "most human of politicians"
and that at his best he was "the best that politics can be". Nick
Clegg, who recently stood down as Lib Dem leader after the party's
disastrous performance in the general election, said Kennedy's
"enduring humanity" made him the "polar opposite of a cardboard
cut-out, point-scoring party politician".

The family said on Friday: "The words and images of that day, and of
so many other tributes, will be there for us to look back on with
pride in Charles, and Donald will always know what a special father he
had."

They thanked the public authorities and emergency services for dealing
with his death "with such courtesy, kindness and efficiency".

Kennedy admitted publicly that he had been receiving treatment for an
alcohol problem just months after leading the party to its greatest
success in the 2005 general election. Despite declaring his hope then
to continue at the head of the party, he was forced to stand down in
the face of the threat of resignations by senior colleagues.

Related:
More on this topicCharles Kennedy's alcohol problem was also Britain's
alcohol problem | Hadley Freeman

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Willie Rennie, said he hoped one
legacy of Kennedy's untimely death would be a better public
understanding of the dangers of excessive drinking. "We knew he had a
battle with alcoholism and it was one that he ultimately lost. I can
only hope that people will have a greater understanding of alcoholism
as an illness," he said.

"That he was such an outstanding public figure whilst he was ill shows
how remarkable he was. It is important to remember how Charles lived
and not just how he died. The warmth of the appreciation for Charles's
life from far and wide has touched his family and friends."

Campbell, who built a close friendship with his former political
opponent around the "shared enemy" of alcohol, said he hoped
confirmation that alcohol abuse led to Kennedy's death would make
politicians take it more seriously as an illness.

The pair had been due to meet on Friday to mark the retirement of
Campbell's brother as the piper at Glasgow University, where Kennedy
previously served as rector.

"The response since Charles died has been remarkable and I think one
of the reasons is that people realised that, amid his confidence and
his evident political skills, there was a real humanity and
vulnerability to him," Campbell said.

"None of us are surprised that alcoholism played a part in his tragic
death but what has been great about the tributes is that they have
focused on so much more than this. I hope that remains the case as
people continue to remember him as we move towards the funeral and
then subsequent memorials.


"I also hope that politicians of all parties develop a better
understanding of alcoholism, take it more seriously and devise
policies to treat it as a disease on a par with the other major
diseases.

"Today is a particularly poignant day because Charles was due to be
joining me at a farewell party for my brother Donald, who is retiring
from his role as official piper at Glasgow University where Charles
was once rector. We will obviously be paying tribute to his memory and
reflecting on the loss so many are feeling."

After the family's postmortem statement was released, Conn O'Neill,
who ran Kennedy's election campaign and became a close political
adviser, said: "For just a year, I had the great honour of knowing
Charles Kennedy. Through the most tumultuous times in Scottish
politics, it was a pleasure to be by his side and to share in his
insight.


"Today's revelation that his death is related to alcohol in no way
diminishes the great tragedy of his loss. Charles's long suffering
from a terrible illness should not be trivialised as a problem or 'his
demons'. The legacy of Charles Kennedy is far greater, let us continue
to reflect upon the positive impact he has had on the lives of so
many."


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