Fair enough, I'm honestly glad you enjoy their routines.
I just can't look at them and forget the years of " political baggage" that accompanies her. It's my loss because I've enjoyed everything else about SCD over the years, the good, the bad, and the indifferent.
So, I hope your enjoyment of A&A lasts..but not for TOO much longer.

Her tango rehearsal went well.

I have respect for anyone who takes care of a sick and or ailing parent and she looked after her mother for years.

You should be able to enjoy or not enjoy her 'dancing' her 'political baggage' shouldn't come into it.

But you can't forget the political baggage when you see her taking part in SCD is nothing more then a cynical ploy to polish her image. She saw all the praise John Sergeant, a no hoper at dance got, so she said I'll have some of that.

Senior politicians have powers and priveledges not given to ordinary people. No amount of faffing about on the dance floor should be allowed to mask what a mean spirited person she is and her hatred of gay people or her defending the shackling of a pregnant woman .

I'll decide what I should or should not be able to enjoy - and what influences my enjoyment.

Some of us are unable to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the stance taken by Ms.W with regard to the gay community, the shackling of pregnant women prisoners and the admission of women into the priesthood - all views expressed whilst she was in a position to influence policy.

Those who either agree with Ann's political views and/or are able to dissociate themselves from her record will do so - their enjoyment unsullied by any 'political baggage.'

Not all of us can do this - and reserve the freedom to set our own criteria and make our own judgement: a privilege some seek to assume as a right but deny to others.

I doubt that "she said I'll have some of that."

He has already lifted her in the last but one dance he swung her around like a sack of potaotes and I was impressed with his stength then and will be amazed if he can do more than that

I too cant forget her appalling track record on basic human decency and dont find her cute or funny. She is riding high on being a game old bird, but she is only 4 years older than Pamela and 1 year younger than Felicity . I wnot be sorry to see her leave as I find it all a bit contrived

I'm enjoying Ann and Anton's performances. I look forward to seeing what they come up with each week, and I think it's fair to say her dancing is improving ever so slightly week on week (ever so slightly mind you). It's all a spot of fun that adds to the whole atmosphere for me, and I hope she continues for a while longer.

I absolutely don't agree with her political views, but then I'm fortunate enough to live in a democracy where extreme views - right or left - are unlikely ever to take hold or have any real influence, so I'm happy to allow others to hold whatever views they wish. Ann seems not to have brought her politics to the dance floor with her, so I'm doing her the courtesy of doing the same.

I don't like Ann particularly but am enjoying her partnership with Anton. Anton deserves a medal in my opinion.

I didn't like Paul beforehand but found him much less irritating than expected, partly because of the affection Ola showed towards him, which was sweet of her and created a positive ambience, for me, at least.

Ann and Anton's dance last week was really quite good, considering, and not entirely unpleasant to watch (daahling).

Must admit, I'm about as lefty as they come... I despise everything the conservative party stands for, and I sincerely doubt that will ever change. But I have a curious soft spot for Ann (in some ways) and I do like Anton. I suppose one small element of Ann's character that demands respect is that she seems dangerously honest, which is spectacularly rare in political life. I know that she was said to be a 'saint' by the newspapers in relation to the MPs expenses scandal, and she seems to live her life according to her principles - what she says is what she actually believes - no spin with Ann.

I think she's had a very sheltered life, probably rather privileged, I wouldn't expect her to have even the most rudimentary understanding of what real working class people experience, and I think she's of such a stubborn, fixed frame of mind that her politics was probably shaped in early life and she's never let anything influence that. I wouldn't say she's the sharpest tool in the box, really. So, hey, in my opinion she's literally no better or worse than she should be, given her background and level of intelligence. I find her MUCH less objectionable than I ever found Tony Blair - a model of self-serving, disingenuous and characterless candyfloss. And conservative candyfloss, at that!

Anyway, enough politics. I admire Anton for good-naturedly taking up his role as court jester yet again - and for managing to spend hours in the company of the woman each day while still maintaining both his smile and his sanity. I guess I should confess there's probably a horrible part of me that rather enjoys watching Ann make a fool of herself, but mostly I find them rather fun and I like that she doesn't take it all too seriously. I'm really tired of hearing about 'journeys' and dead relatives and totally over-the-top olympic style competitiveness etc.

Speaking of dead relatives... was sorry to hear that Ann lost her brother recently.

A very fair post, twinglebells..I agree with most of that.
I fail to find her as amusing as you (and many others) appear to, but that's my problem. If Ann Widdecombe is finally able to spread a little happiness in the world, then perhaps we should rejoice.. after all, there is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner.
I wondered if being partnered with Ann was Anton's punishment for his joking, off-the-cuff, remarks last year that caused such a furore ? If so, it seems incredibly harsh.

I don't find Ann entertaining at all. Love Anton - he deserves better.

I have never liked Ann Widdecombe's politics - but for some reason I do quite like her. I also think she has improved, mellowed if you like, with age. I remember that business about shackling pregnant women when they went to hospital but wonder if she actually meant shackling them while they were giving birth or just handcuffing them to and from out patients (which does happen when prison inmates go for hospital visits). Though she is a single woman she is not totally cut off from all aspects of family life. I read a novel (bought in charity shop) that she wrote about a family going through divorce and her depiction of the parents and the children was really spot on, I was surprised.

I enjoy watching Ann and Anton. She has worked wonders for Anton's reputation after last year's fiasco, when he really went down in a lot of peoples' estimation. Perhaps people have forgotten about that now .

Ann won't be in the contest forever but she will stay as long as she is fun to watch.

I've suddenly remembered who Ann reminds me of; one of Ken Dodd's diddy girls.

Rotund body and little spindly legs.

But after Ann goes, better dancers will still be going.

Ann's presence just delays some of the departures by one week.

Also, her political baggage includes saying Michael Howard had something of the night about him, which pretty much finished him off. That much, at least, I see as a good thing.

If only she'd taken out Iain Duncan Smith while she was at it!

She wasn't nasty or mean spirited. She just told it like it is. A lot of people agreed with her politics. I certainly did.

Or Les Dawson's "Roly Polys"?

Now that is another limerick.

Veri, for that remark alone I forgive her*. There have been some excellent posts in this thread, for which I salute you all. I loathe the woman's politics, but there is something endearing about her astonishing lack of self-awareness and total inability to compromise. She's one of a kind (thank the Lord). I don't get the impression that she's mellowed at all - it's just that the media have, in their wisdom, decided that we should clutch her to our collective bosom, erm, so to speak.

The trouble is that very bad dancing, however hard the contestant tries, brings out my inner Len and I have to bang my head on the wall to remind myself that this is an entertainment show, not a dance competition. It makes my head hurt, so the sooner Widdecombe gets booted off, the happier I shall be.


*almost

Is it true that she's going to take over from Barbara Windsor in Eastenders ? New landlady I mean.

With the new catchphrase to "Out you go, you ruffians!" to replace "Gedahdermypub!!" ?

I heard she was set to replace Judi Dench as M in the next Bond film.

The judges are all very jolly now, lets see if Len is still giving her a 7 when one of his favourites gets ousted instead of her!

Hope the joke wears thin, the sooner the better. There are some good dancers this year and I want to see them.