Will Eurovision snub rain on Putin’s parade?
Amid the desperate horrors of the war in Ukraine, it’s strangely heartening to see that there is still room for trivia in people’s lives.
Obviously the Eurovision Song Contest is pretty low down the list of concerns for the millions living under the shadow of Vladimir Putin’s invasion but, unsurprisingly, the Ukrainian entry is the bookies’ favourite to win next month.
I haven’t heard the song - by the Kalush Orchestra - but it’s irrelevant whether or not it is any good (being ‘any good’ in Eurovision terms is about as subjective as it gets anyway). Most people would want Ukraine to win purely as a gesture of goodwill towards a country that’s had little to smile about in recent months - a country so many have warmed to after seeing the brave and dignified way its people conduct themselves.
Russia, unsurprisingly, is not competing in this year’s contest as the sanctions begin to really bite.
A Eurovision spokesman said: “The decision reflects concern that the inclusion of a Russian entry would bring the competition into disrepute.”
Fair enough. The last thing the world needs is Putin boasting about a Eurovision triumph - while also pretending he’s scored a military triumph - at Russia’s annual Victory Day parade in May.
Not even the most rabid Eurovision fan is suggesting a victory at the song contest would be any kind of consolation for people in Ukraine, or that many of them would even notice, what with having a bit more to worry about than scoring top marks from the Norwegian jury.
But the annual TV sing-a-long has become something of a measure of a nation’s popularity - or otherwise - on the geopolitical stage.
Many believe that a combination of the
Iraq War and Brexit have thwarted the UK’s chances for the rest of the century. It would be unfortunate if we made ourselves even more unpopular in the unlikely event our song ends up beating Ukraine’s.
‘It’s irrelevant whether or not the song is any good (being ‘any good’ in Eurovision terms is about as subjective as it gets anyway)’