He has bowed down to pressure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4590892.stm

w00... never heard of him. :-/

I'll read it, though

Ah CRAP! He was great, if it wasnt for him I probably wouldnt have faith in the party

He wasn't really going to survive after that statement..

See I'm the opposite. I think the Lib Dems are great, but Charles.... not so much. Charles was likeable. Incredibly so, but I think it is hard to see him as PM. Can you see Charles Kennedy commanding the British Armed Forces? Can you see Charles Kennedy lamblasting the opposition across the dispatch box? Because I can't, and those are all things any good leader needs to be able to do. A good leader of a British political party needs to walk the walk, talk the talk and act like a Prime Minister. Charles bumbled (famously being unable to explain his own policy in the Election) Charles drank (hardly a desirable quality in the leader of your nation) and Charles was never up to the oratory standards of Blair or his spiritual son, David Cameron. Charles is a nice guy, and much of his foibles are understandable, and sad. He is very brave for admitting his problem so publically and he did very much for the Lib Dems, but Charles has often been described as a Chairman rather than a leader. I feel that's precisely where he would of been best of, as Party Chairman, working behind the scenes, but for leader 'nice guy down the pub' just doesn't cut it. A political party leader needs to be almost superhuman, and what is often the great thing about Charles is how human he often came across.

As a Lib Dem member I feel the only way we have a hope in hell of gaining seats at the next election is with a leader who comes with the positive aspects of Blair and Cameron with truly Social Liberal viewpoints. For me that man is Simon Hughes, and I will happily place him top of my ballot paper when it arrives.

I think a new face for the Lib Dems will be good. I think we've seen a lot of Charles Kennedy recently. New face, new ideas etc. Hopefully they'll gain a few more seats!

Personally I think Charles Kennedy has done irreparable damage to the Lib Dems. He's been proven to have lied over the last few months ( here ). He wasn't just in denial, he *knew* he was being treated, yet catagorically denied it. I think this can be considered as rather hypocritical, because while Kennedy never referred to the claims over Iraq as lies, he certainly alluded to it ( here ) and ( here ).

But not only that, his refusal to stand down once it became clear his party weren't behind him ( here ) has turned the Lib Dems into a squabbling, confused, organisation. Imagine them as the leading party in the UK? I don't think so, they're almost as bad as the Tory party.

(links add to help Americans who don't know who the Lib Dems or Charles Kennedy is)

Sorry, but I cannot agree with that. The man has done more for the party than anyone else in their entire history. He is categorically, and indesputedly the best leader the party has ever had. While he has made mistakes... I don't feel any of them has "damaged" the party. Whether or not you agree, you cannot deny that he has taken them INFINATELY further forward than he has backward.

What has damaged the party however is the back-stabbing and the squabbling of the last few weeks. We have come to expect this kind of behaviour from the Conservatives... but not the Lib Dems.

That said, I'm of mixed opinion over the end result. As Chris said Charles Kennedy was an increadibly likeable man... whether or not he would have made a good leader I'm unsure. It'll be interesting to see what the new candidates can bring to the party. Fresh blood is rarely a bad thing. But I certainly hope that they don't lose sight of what makes the Lib Dems "the likeable party". It's an invaluable quality to have IMHO.

Yes I do actually also agree with that and what Chris said, I couldnt really imagine him as the PM, but I think he was a great public face to the party, and helped alot of young people gain interest in the party, something I cant really imagine someone else doing

As someone who knows the faces inside the party, wait for Simon Hughes

Nick Clegg :-"

No, market liberals are evil. EVIL!

He's cute though

You James ARE evil.