The Telegraph tries once again to prove that it is really just the Daily Mail printed on bigger sheets of paper today.  There is a rather ugly 'Tessa tells all' report (or at least 'close-personal-contacts tell all').  Also Liz Jones opines on the relationship problems of poor Sian and Lembit.

Celebrity in this way should hardly be the subject of a supposedly serious policy blog such as this.  However, we've blogged about personality politics before and the Jones piece is interesting in that it equates Lembit and Sian's difficulties with those of Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman and Kylie Minouge:

"These wannabes [less famous male partners] are fine when the women are vulnerable – Jennifer with a failed marriage; Nicole distraught at Tom's proclamations of love for his new wife, Katie; Kylie battling cancer; Siân desperate to settle down. But it is a different story when the women are back on top. Suddenly, alpha woman is not such an attractive proposition, despite the lifestyle benefits she brings."

Liz Jones - The Telegraph

The piece is interesting, not because of what it has to say, but because the travails of a Lib Dem MP can be written about along side the likes of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

By implication the piece also shows that Lembit will increase his bankability as a 'name' by this episode. It is impossible to underestimate how important this is in today's media culture.

The master of modern communications would be able to use this elevated position subtly to have influence the policy debate too.  Tony Blair managed this in the Cool Britannia years.  However, the position of Prime Minister gives you credibility coming out of your ears.

The line is much narrower and much trickier to walk when you have to compete for both the celebrity and credibility stakes. Its a position Charles Kennedy managed to acheive for some, but certainly not all.

Lembit's name is gaining more currency.  But his credibility mountain is now higher to climb than even Chatshow Charlie's was.