Eurovision 2019: And So It Ends.

Saturday (18/5/19) saw the Grand Finale of the 64th Eurovision Song Contest.

Every year I try and perfect a standard template of how to cover the Eurovision Song Contest. Something to which I can just quickly copy & paste all the relevant information into. So it can be discussed while the event is still fresh in everyone's minds.

Every year I fail spectacularly.

The Grand Finale of the 2018 Song Contest took place on May 12th (12/5/18). My coverage dragged out until July 25th (25/7/18).

The Eurovision Song Contest is something which is very much defined by the people who turn up. Every time I think I've found a way to explain the Song Contest the people who turn up decide to do it differently.

Generally speaking though the Song Contest is used by nations to raise the political issues which are important to them.

This is why Eurovision has one golden rule, songs cannot be overtly political. If they were each year would rapidly descend into a riot rather than a singing competition.

When I say; "Political Issues" I tend not to mean things like the specific amendments to clauses of bills being passed by Parliaments.

That said Moldova's 2018 Song Contest entry was; "My Lucky Day" by DoReDoS. The main message was the November 2017 agreement reached between Moldova and Transnistria. An ethnically Russian region of Moldova which broke away from Moldova in the chaos surrounding the collapse of the Soviet Union.

All three members of the band were from the Transnistria. So simply having them represent Moldova was a sign of unity. In the stage performance the band members were accompanied by identical body doubles. Giving the impression they had split away, as if by some process of Mitosis cell division.

The video in support of the entry featured one of the band members using an old public telephone, presumably to call home. Highlighting the section of the November 2017 agreement to harmonise cell phone coverage between Moldova and Transnistria.

The video also featured lots of shots of a car driving along country roads, amongst the farmland. Highlighting the sections of the November 2017 agreement allowing Moldovan vehicles to use roads in Transnistria and vice versa. Along with the sections of the November 2017 agreement allowing farmers access to cross-border farmlands.

The references to having romantic relations with lots of different partners suggested both Moldova and Transnistria might be open to joining the European Union (EU).

The political issues raised at Eurovision tend to be more broader, social issues which influence people's everyday lives. Yet either do not warrant the attention of politicians and governments or have failed to catch their attention.

San Marino's 2015 entry "Chain of Lights" by Anita Simoncini & Michele Perniola being a prime example. This dealt with the then new phenomenon of; "Sexting." Teenagers sending each other sexually explicit images and videos over cell phones and social media.

Sexting is obviously an issue which potentially affects all children and teenagers in many European societies. Along with their parents and teachers. However in 2015 it wasn't an issue that had really caught the attention of governments, politicians and lawmakers.

Frustratingly San Marino's entry that year seemed to go over everyone's head and they didn't make it through to the Grand Finale. Then over the next two years the issue of Sexting did suddenly catch everyone's attention with it constantly being on the news amid demands for governments to act.

Eurovision is really good at issues which, although they affect society, do not warrant the attention of politicians and lawmakers.

For example amongst the Eurovision nations there is a general consensus that governments have no right to interfere with the sex lives of their adult citizens.

National attitudes to things like sexuality are also constantly changing and evolving.

These changing attitudes are often highlighted by the differences in the rules different nations pass controlling what can be shown on television. In terms of nudity, sexual content and offensive language.

These changes and evolutions mean that these issues of society's attitude to things like sex and sexuality come up time and time again at the Song Contest. Often with different results.

The Eurovision Song Contest has been a long and proud advocate for gay-rights. Often shining as a beacon for gay people surrounded by the darkness of intolerance and oppression. Such is the Song Contest's reputation it is often mistaken as simply a gay event.

Obviously in any year certain political issues are considered important by more than one country. These common interests often tend to emerge as themes. They are then discussed, often in quite a lot of specific detail, by the interested parties.

This obviously does not happen automatically. It is part of a process throughout the week of competition. Involving much bartering and horse trading both within the competition and the parties and unofficial gatherings which surround it.

In covering the Song Contest I normally start by trying to identify the issues raised and the themes which have emerged. To show how these issues have been discussed.

The winner is normally the one who has made the best contribution to those contributions. The musical and performance skill they use in the discussion is considered a major factor in considering their contribution.

The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Tel Aviv, Israel. A country which is surrounded by at least two active warzones. The warzone in Israel's neighbour Syria has been extremely active since 2011.

Even if you are not a Song Contest fan you may well have been aware of when delegations started arriving in Israel to begin final preparations and rehearsals. That weekend of Saturday, May 4th (4/5/19) was marked by militants in Gaza firing some 700 rockets into Israel and Israel conducting some 300 airstrikes in Gaza.

To give you an idea of how intense those two days of violence were. Throughout all of 2018 militants in Gaza only fired a total of around 1,000 rockets into Israel.

As a result of these exceptional circumstances I moved my usual coverage forward by a week. Identifying the main issues and themes before the Song Contest proper had even begun.

You can read that here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/05/eurovision-2019-and-so-it-begins.html

And here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/05/eurovision-2019-and-so-it-continues.html

I identified one of the major themes as; "Brexit." Britain's exit from the EU.

Nothing about that issue has really changed since I gave it extensive coverage back in January 2019. Nor is that issue likely to change. What needs to change is the attitude of British Parliamentarians.

You can still read my extensive Brexit coverage in two distinct sections.

The First, dealing with the Withdrawal Agreement, starting here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/01/britains-brexit-withdrawal-agreement_46.html

The Second, dealing the wider political situation, starting here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/01/britains-brexit-withdrawal-agreement_57.html

I also looked at the similarities between the issues raised by Brexit and the Israel/Palestine Conflict. Although, by that point, I was suffering from a nasty bout of the Flu.

For the sense that it does make you can read that,

Here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/01/a-brexit-blockade-on-common-knowledge.html

And Here; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/01/a-brexit-blockade-on-common-knowledge_24.html

So I assure you that you already know the answers to the main issues at the Eurovision Song Contest this year.

You just may not realise that you already know the answers.

At around 18:20 on 19/5/19 (UK date) tomorrow I will start looking at the minor themes and the entries themselves in more detail.