An Ideal Scenario

Smug opportunist in pursuit of ill-defined 'change' comes unstuck!

In 2010 so far, we have seen the slow slide of the Conservatives; the prospect of a strong or even outright majority fading, as the British people take a look at them and understandably have second thoughts. Before Darling's absurd 'we're going to be harder than Thatcher' rhetoric, Labour had managed to appear the more realistic option, not exactly supporting, but seeming to represent the sort of public sector terrain that the Tories would gleefully cut. Making swingeing public sector cuts will not be painless, and if we are talking job cuts, the state will only gain a minimal amount per sacked employee, when factoring in future loss of income tax/NI contributions and benefits to be paid out. The Liberal Democrats have a more consistent policy platform, spot on regarding trident, tax policy and much else. But Labour deserves a little credit for putting voting reform on the agenda. Left-of-centre people must accept it is crucial to avert Tory control; full PR would see a Thatcherite Conservatism made practically impossible again.
 
Within the realms of possibility, we could have:

LAB 30% (290 seats)
CON 34% (258 seats)
LIB-D 23% (70 seats)
OTH 12% (32 seats)

- with Labour gaining a small majority of seats and having to stage a referendum on full PR, to obtain loose issue-by-issue arrangement with the Liberal Democrats. It is over 80 years since we have had any kind of overhaul of our electoral system - ludicrous, but unsurprising, as the vested interests have dug in. The main two parties have long ceased to represent anything like the mass of the British people. They represent (or attempt to represent) a non-existent constituency of floating voters in the mythical land of Middle England, ending up pleasing nobody. If people are voting Green, Respect, TUSC, SNP, PC and UKIP - even BNP - these voices should be properly represented in Parliament.

If this happens, British democracy might, it just might, begin to grow up.

'All values are obliterated'

Whilst Half Man Half Biscuit's christmas song would clearly be a subtler rebuff to this man and his stranglehood over the 'xmas market', that is obviously not going to happen.* However, the rage of so many is understandable; particularly in the context of the self-important BBC interview Cowell made - pushing his future political prospects - and this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/dec/15/david-cameron-simon-cowell

The prospect is raised of a Cameron-Cowell Britain; unsurprising, terrifying, ideologically wedded in their non-ideology. Would it really surprise anyone if a potential PM Cameron asked Cowell to be a sort of minister without portfolio (or indeed democratic mandate beyond his TV audience)? A ghastly scenario, but clearly in keeping with Cameron's Carlton Man status.

* RATM as choice for this campaign; a bandwagon misguided in its 'real music' rhetoric, its lack of interest in positively reclaiming pop from Cowell and the carefully overlooked fact that 'Killing in the Name' shares its record label with the X Factor release. A 17-year-old RATM song will not change anything, however radical some of the sentiments. If it makes #1 it will be a fingers-up at Cowell (not a bad thing in itself of course) and the X Factor audience but it will not fundamentally change things. It has even enabled Cowell to - with some gall - call it a cynical stunt. Better rallying points? If it has to be something old, let us embrace something like Kevin Ayers's 'Hymn'; or indeed something from 2009, Hawley's 'Open Up Your Door', for instance (or - blasphemously! - something of non-US/UK origin!).

Morley is just talking on Newsnight Review about people collectively waking up in the last two years. This has been reflected in an initially strong year for pop, with Dizzee Rascal, David Guetta, even Michael Gove-favourite Lily Allen, making music that undeniably connects with these times and with people's lives. I just wish this early blaze of great pop could have gone further (and hope the likes of Little Boots will develop in the Abba/PSB tradition in time). I quite agree with the frustration of Robin Carmody as to the contradictory impulses; pop artists have seen the problem all too clearly - 'Dirtee Cash', all-crushing consumerism - but will not, cannot make a clean break from this and propose a new way of being.

Things = the fact that 19 million watched, and presumably a percentage of them share Cowell's vision of 'music' / 'entertainment' / 'democracy'.