In article ,
T.C.Roll-Pickering@qmul.ac.uk (Tim Roll-Pickering) wrote:

> Kennedy's drinking had not even been a secret since 2002

It wasn't a secret in 1999 either, for that matter. There was a time when
politicians were judged by results not be comparison with saints.

The trouble was that Charles lost control of his drinking to too great an
extent. Churchill didn't.

-- 
Cllr. Colin Rosenstiel
Cambridge                    http://www.rosenstiel.co.uk/
Cambridge Liberal Democrats: http://www.cambridgelibdems.org.uk/

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:

>> Kennedy's drinking had not even been a secret since 2002

> It wasn't a secret in 1999 either, for that matter.

Well it may not have been hidden but my recollection is the media only took 
hold of the story and ran with it around that time after Paxman quizzed 
Kennedy directly in a general interview with the question (paraphrase) "How 
do you feel that we've spoken to several MPs, including some from you're own 
party, and they've all said 'You're interviewing Charles Kennedy? Hope he 
stays sober long enough,'?"