Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Politician and leader of the Liberal Democrats, first entered Parliament at 23 after a surprise win in his home seat in Scotland.
On the island
Eight records
March of the Cameron Highlanders / The Brig of PerthFavourite
Well, I'm starting with nepotism completely, and this is my dad, Ian Kennedy. He's a very fine traditional West Highland fiddle player, and there's one BBC recording actually of days gone by when he won the Mod, which is the the Gallic equivalent of the I Stepford, which is something I'd like to hear in my Desert Island.
I couldn't exist on this desert island without Mr David Bowie's presence and sound, and we have to go for young Americans, and it has got the best drum introduction you could ever wish.
Well, I'm going to have some puccini from Tosca. The first time I I went to Covent Garden it was a performance of Tosca and I just thought it was the most magical experience. I'd never quite seen anything like this and this area just says it all.
Well, since we're being aspirational at this point in the conversation, I suppose Fly Me to the Moon's is good a place to head for. I'm a great fan of Frank Sinatra, and although I don't wish to be unduly morbid at this point in the proceedings, I think when I'm carried out of the church in a box one day, this would be the the sound I would like to hear.
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
The Choir of Christ's College, Cambridge
One of the most extraordinary experiences that Sarah and myself will... well, be with us forever really was when we were both at the front of the the altar and the whole congregation, all our friends and family at the wedding just went full whack with Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven, which was our opening hymn.
Well, one of the things that I'm never going to excel for Britain on uh is punctuality. So I like uh the Rolling Stones. I think that they're the the best rock and roll band in the world. I think they're better than the Beatles. Um but I've kept an awful lot of friends waiting over the years. And this is a lovely jagger song waiting on a friend.
Nimrod (from Enigma Variations)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
One of the most nervous moments of the year... is Remembrance Sunday, where the party leaders all lay the wreath in front of the cenotaph. The piece of music that is playing is Elgar's Nimrod, and it's just something that's very moving.
Last year we we had a lot of Sarah and myself had a lot of very pleasant and privileged occasions in connection with the Queen's Jubilee, Golden Jubilee, one of which was the pop concert at the palace, which was quite an event. And Toploader came out and sang Dancing in the Moonlight, and it just... the whole place just took off and it's just a very happy memory of something that we really enjoyed, and it's a good song.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:47Why was it [Roy Jenkins] who rang your political bell at that point?
Well, I suppose that maybe it's where I come from, that I don't see the world, I don't see society in terms of class interests. It seems to me that we're a bunch of individuals and that the task of a political party or a good government is to manage things up to a point where you enable individuals to flourish. And it seemed to me that's what Jenkins was about, and that's really what I want politics to be about.
Presenter asks
8:07How do you square [your strong Catholic upbringing] with your liberal views now on abortion and gay marriage?
Well, I I would describe myself, although I'm not a fantastically religious person, but if I had to put a definition of myself, I would describe myself as a a liberal Catholic. That's where I'm coming from... I would certainly consider myself to be a Catholic and I'm married to an Anglican who would certainly consider herself to be an Anglican. Um and we would both consider ourselves to be quite liberal in our outlook.
Presenter asks
12:00Is that why you metamorphosed into what was commonly known as Chat Show Charlie?
I think that one of the problems it strikes me and has struck me for a long time about politics is that politicians are not connecting sufficiently with the public and the public are not engaging enough with us... if you want to get through to people, then you've got to be prepared to put yourself in slightly different circumstances from sitting on news night and mouthing off about whatever the issue of the day is. And if that means have I got news for you or anything else is an appropriate venue, then you should go for it.
The keepsakes
The book
Frederick Forsyth
Day of the Jackal. I never tire of that book and uh therefore it it would come with me.
The luxury
And my luxury would just be a C D a player, I suppose... I don't mind what music it is, as long as there's lots of it. That's absolutely essential.
Presenter asks
18:50What's the strategy [for coming to power]?
The ambition, and I think it's a realistic ambition, is for the Liberal Democrats to find themselves part of the government of the country at Westminster... I think that we can certainly have a realistic ambition to emerge as the most credible opposition party.
Presenter asks
23:22You didn't turn up for Gordon Brown's statement on Euro entry... That seems a curious decision.
Well, I suppose it was a curious decision. I mean, it was a decision taken on the day, and that's just a decision I took. I suppose, looking back, I mean, the benefit of hindsight is a great thing to have. But if I'd imagined that it would have encouraged the kind of speculation or gossip that perhaps it did, then I would have taken the opposite decision and gone and sat in the chamber.
“I think that when you come from a place like Fort William in the Highlands of Scotland, a sense of community is very important. People are very interdependent and you can't stray very far into that without hitting politics.”
“I think that if you want to get through to people, then you've got to be prepared to put yourself in slightly different circumstances from sitting on news night and mouthing off about whatever the issue of the day is.”
“I think that we can certainly have a realistic ambition to emerge as the most credible opposition party.”