Democracy and the X Factor

Apparently 20 million people watched Matt Cardle win the X Factor last night, with the 27 year old decorator beating Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction into 2nd and 3rd place. The result was probably not the one Cowell wanted, as he had made his support for One Direction quite clear. Is this then an example of the public's bloody-mindedness - particularly after the many allegations of poll manipulation this season? The inexplicably long tenure of Wagner (and Anne Widdecombe over on Strictly) presumably has something to do with this. Can any longer political trends be drawn? What lessons should Cameron, Clegg and Milliband be learning from this?

PS: Here is the Guardian's review of the final programme (described as a 2 hour chasm for the slow opening of an envelope...)

PPS: Here are some more detailed stats (and a graph!) on the X Factor voting week by week, if you're interested.

Widdy Waltzes Off

Anne Widdecome had her last dance on Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend, making it all the way to week 10 and nearly into the Semi Finals. What do you think was the secret of her success? Sadly this wasn't shared with Lembit Opik, who was the second person to be evicted from I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Are there any other politician / reality show match ups you would like to see?

Strictly Widdecombe

As you probably know, Anne Widdecombe (who visited Nonsuch two years ago) is a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing this year. We of course wish her all the best, and the BBC is hoping that she can repeat the success of John Sergeant, who lasted 10 weeks despite little obvious dancing talent. A more serious issue is how her appearance continues to blur the line in the public mind between politicians and celebrity. This Guardian article examines this further, also considering the infamous appearance of George Galloway on Celebrity Big Brother, and Lembit Opik's regular TV appearances (Lembit will be speaking at Nonsuch next month). Are you happy with this, or should politicians stick to their day jobs?

PS: This Telegraph article marks the passing of Big Brother, considering its significance and how our attitudes to celebrity and surveillance have changed while its been on.