I mentioned Eurovision in my previous post, but would be remiss if I didn’t remark on the political implications of this popular song contest. Although I won’t have the dry, sardonic wit of a BBC commentator, I’ll do my best.
Basically, Eurovision is the one time a year that the little European countries get to show up all the big European countries. Since the 1960s, Europeans have put together snazzy, and sometimes not so snazzy, song and dance routines to perform, viewers then call-in their top choices and each country votes; the deal is that each country cannot vote for its own entry. This is where the politics come in.
No matter how amazing, or amazingly awful, a country’s routine may be – the votes seem to follow very specific political alliances. For an instance, the United Kingdom’s only top supporter is Ireland, which is a shock in of itself, but can sometimes rely on Malta. This year, not surprisingly, the UK came in last place. Greece and Cyprus always vote for each other. Most every Eastern European country will give Russia substantial points because, well, the Cold War runs deep. You can always rely on the Ukraine for a rather creative piece, and Turkey for a rather desperate one. The list goes on.
Just a brief taster of what’s been happening in Europe tonight. Good night, all, and congrats to Germany!
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