"I said he was not the best singer - do you seriously think he is? I'm sure he doesn't! I could easily name you ten male singer who are better. That does not mean he is no good,far from it, he is brilliant, but let's not kid ourselves, he is not the best"

Actually, the title is not the "best" folk dinger; it's "Folk Singer of the Year". As Tom says, Jon Boden has done huge amounts this year. He has worked with Bellowhead, Spiers and Boden and the Remnant Kings - each delivering material that is fresh, timely and important. His work continues to draw in legions of non-folkies, not least among them Martin Green, who is Head of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies. As far as I know, Bellowhead is pretty much the only folk band that is really on his radar, and they are probably our best hope for getting any representation of folk into the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. It may not happen at all, but if it does, it's because Bellowhead register on the radar beyond the folk world in a way that 95% of folk bands do not.

And apart from that, Jon is a wonderful proponent of traditional music and a damn fine singer.

So, for all of these reasons, I am proud to have voted for him.