Eurovision 2017

I'm a bit bemused that some people seem to think Eurovision is only now being politicised. As best I can tell, Ukraine's winning entry in 2016 was pretty political -- a (not exactly unwarranted) F-U to the Russians over their invasion of Crimea. And I suspect at least some of the public votes towards Ukraine in 2016 were informed by sympathy around events in that country -- just as, I'm sure, votes towards 3rd-placed Russia were aided by political sentiment too.

The question for me is this: if the shoe were on the other foot, and Russia had won last year, how much pressure would the EBU have faced not to hold the event there? Would, for example, the Netherlands have been willing to send a contestant, given what happened with MH17? Or in light of regular media commentary suggesting Russia is "hacking" and influencing elections in the US and Europe, how eager would France and Germany be to let Putin host a European glamourfest? How many viewers across the continent might choose to boycott watching the event?

It is virtually impossible to shield events like Eurovision from any political context/implications. That would require the general rules of human nature to be suspended.

There have been political difficulties for years. When Israel looked certain to win in 1978, Jordan famously pulled transmission from France and replaced it with a photo of a bunch of daffodils. They even later reported that someone else had won. They didn't show the following year's contest.

With almost everyone singing in English now, it's pretty easy to make a statement with your lyrics, much more difficult when you were compelled to sing in your native language as your message could literally be lost in translation. You're not supposed to make political statements in your lyrics of course. Doesn't stop metaphor and puns happening though. "We don't wanna put in" was a lyric a few years ago from Georgia. They refused to change the lyric and eventually withdrew.

I'll just put this out there: in the year of triggering Brexit, is there anything to be read into our lyric "I'll never give up on you" ? *justsayin'*

I'll never give up on EU?

The EBU has raised the temperature on Ukraine. The EBU's Director General Ingrid Deltenre has threatened expulsion from future contests if the Russian Contestant is not permitted into the Country for this year's event.

Her letter to the Ukrainian PM is here ……..

DOCS.GOOGLE.COM
31-Mar-2017 @ 23:04

Instead of piling on all this pressure and all these threats... why on earth did the EBU not foresee this coming and address the matter head on much earlier in the process?

If Ukraine wouldn't allow Russia to perform as normal then they aren't entitled to hold the contest. Simple.

I would say the EBU must take some responsibility in the shambles that this years contest seems to be turning into.

Russia's entry was announced on 13 March so it wasn't known it would be an an issue before then.

If Ukraine refuse to let the Russian act in, they should be stripped of the hosting duties. It's not too late is it? The only problem is who the new host would be, since last year's runner up was Australia and thus isn't an option.

Nobody could host it with a months notice.

Well it's nearly two months notice really, but agree it's unlikely.

It's Kiev or a postponement into the Autumn. Have a feeling that Deltenre's intervention will work. Frankly Ukraine doesn't have many cards to play on this. What gets me is the deparation of Russia in trying to win the damn thing.

No - less than a month until rehearsals would be expected to start...

Try finding a venue with at least 6 weeks availability (rig, rehearse, broadcast) at this notice...

I think it is far more complicated than that. Are you saying a country should change its laws because it is hosting Eurovision? If so then Azerbaijan and Russia could have had some fingers pointed at them just as much, as could many other countries, like Israel...

Ironically Ukraine DID change its laws for the 2005 contest, temporarily removing the requirement for Visas for visitors from European countries (though I think this became permanent)

This is transparently a game that Russia is playing, to make itself appear the victim. It's totally in line with the Kremlin propaganda machine... They invaded and occupied Crimea, have funded and supported hostilities in Ukraine, and now chosen a performer they knew fully would not be able to legally perform in Kiev...

To be fair Ukraine have not played this well either - though I'm not sure what else they could have done?

The EBU seem to have been grossly naive in this matter. Have we heard a peep from Jon Ola Sand?