Its clear from the tributes and comments being made about Charles Kennedy that he was not alone in having served as an MP for over 30 years. One of the tributes I listened to was from another MP who like Charles, was first elected in 1983. It seemed as though Mr Kennedy was well loved and greatly appreciated by those he worked alongside. I know I am not alone in wondering how men and women who liked him so much allowed his and their workplace to become so toxic and so disrespectful on a public level. However in a society where there are no jobs for life and most people follow several work or career paths during their lives, one has to wonder if we have got the most sensible form of governance. Until last month Charles and many of his colleagues assumed he inhabited a safe seat, unassailable from other parties blandishments. Indeed the MP who I heard on the radio is in a seat which is really safe. I may not be ideal to set maximum terms for MPs as one size rarely fits all, but surely one way of improving our Parliament in terms of new ideas and fresh talent would be for people like Charles Kennedy to treat Parliament as a more temporary posting than they appear to. His colleague was 10 years older than Charles and will be 70 at the next election when he will have served his constituents for 37 years which seems to be rather too long, whatever his strengths and wisdom.