The laughing Cavalier

CHARLES KENNEDY, who has died aged 55, was one of Britain’s best-loved politicians. The former leader of the Liberal Democrats (who at 23 was the youngest MP in the House of Commons when first elected in 1983) was known for his quick wit and affable demeanour. He had an ability to indicate, through a wry look or self-deprecating turn of phrase, to his interlocutors and audience that he, like they, could see the funny and ridiculous side of politics and life. Such a natural was he on television panel-quizzes and talk-shows, and so frequent were his appearances on them, that he became known as “Chat-show Charlie”. Over a period in which politicians became increasingly Roundhead—dry and cautious—he was a laughing Cavalier.

Indeed, he was all too human. Despite leading the Lib Dems to their strongest ever election result (or the best since the 1920s, if one counts their ancestor, the Liberal Party) in 2005, concerns that he was not up to the job—too light-hearted and too beholden to alcohol—led to his defenestration as leader in 2006. He remained MP for his Scottish highland constituency until May 7th, when he found himself at the junction of the two most dramatic trends at the general election: the stratospheric rise of the Scottish National Party and the collapse of the Lib Dems. He was swept from the seat he had held for 32 years.

Mr Kennedy leaves a political legacy in three parts. First, he will be remembered as an excellent communicator; one who pioneered the use of wit and non-conventional platforms to win voters’ affection and respect in an age of 24-hour news, a fragmenting media landscape and waning faith in (and deference towards) politicians. In an interview with the BBC he said: “I'm serious about the role of humour in politics, as an essential component in trying to get through to people—and, equally, over the need to step outside the more conventional formats like ‘Question Time’ and ‘Newsnight’ to get to a wider audience.” Boris Johnson, the quotable mayor of London and quite possibly Britain’s next prime minister, is something of a political heir to Mr Kennedy in this respect.

Second, he honed a distinctly left-wing brand of Lib Dem politics. Formed by the merger of the centre-left Social Democratic (SDP) and centrist Liberal parties, the Lib Dems have always had two main strands. Mr Kennedy was firmly in the former tradition (having been first elected as an SDP MP). As leader he positioned the Lib Dems to the left of the Labour government by opposing the introduction of university tuition fees and Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war. He was known to be uncomfortable with the decision by Nick Clegg, the party’s current outgoing leader, to move it to the political centre and in 2010 to take it into coalition government with the Conservatives. Now, as the party picks a new leader and seeks a path forward after its catastrophic election result, a return to Mr Kennedy’s brand of leftish protest politics blended with moderate European social democracy is tempting to many Lib Dems—and forms the kernel of the leadership campaign of Tim Farron, currently the frontrunner in the race to replace Mr Clegg.

Finally, Mr Kennedy was an outspoken pro-European in a way that few front-line political figures today are. Even at 55, he was one of the youngest of the remaining politicians with an enthusiasm for Britain’s place in the EU based on idealistic rather than transactional factors. He was due to play a prominent role in the upcoming referendum on the country’s EU membership; his energy, popularity and heartfelt commitment to the cause would have been a big asset to the “Yes” camp. His death makes it all the more pressing that a new generation of pro-Europeans step forward and make the impassioned, wide-ranging case for Britain to remain in the union. A resounding mandate for such a vision at the polls would be a fitting political epitaph for the late laughing Cavalier of Lib Dem politics.