Who says it always has to be serious?

Well two days after the event finished, I'm just about recovered! I'm talking about the UK Eurovision fan club's annual Eurobash. It's a weekend of music, mayhem and judging from the photographs, madness! Always great fun and more importantly, a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones. This year was of course no exception. Eurovision fans really have an amazing capacity to turn a television show which is broadcast once a year into a year-long social event. A huge congratulations and thank you to the organisers of the event, which was held in Manchester, without their hard work and dedication we wouldn't have had the wonderful time that we all did! 

Of course a Eurovision event wouldn't be a Eurovision event without some star guests! This year we were joined by Maja Keuc who represented Slovenia in the ESC in 2011 as well as Josh James who represented the UK in 2010. The head of the Latvian delegation was also in attendance, Zita, who provided a unique, behind-the-scenes insight into the whacky world of Eurovision! In particular I'd like to pay tribute to Josh who was, and still is, a fantastic ambassador for the UK. He's not only talented, he's an all-round good guy. His parents Kim and Richard accompanied him and it was fantastic to see them again - they are rightly proud of their son and it was a pleasure to be in the company of the Dubovies again! 

Before the disco starts it's the annual Eurostars show where we strut our stuff on the main stage. The talent this year was quite astounding really, considering that none of us are professional singers. It was also truly hilarious in some parts and of course downright scary! Speaking of scary, check out the photo of me with my friends, before we went on to perform as Bucks Fizz. My parents would be so proud...

A very special mention goes to a student of my friend who I hear is a bit of a Eurovision fan. Hello Adam Dickson! Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy the show! 

Openness and accountability?

After the rumours of alleged vote-rigging which emerged after the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU launched an investigation. Today it was reported that changes to the voting procedure would take place in 2014. In a bid to make the contest more transparent, the names of each juror will be revealed as well as specific details of which countries they voted for. It appears that the EBU are taking the allegations concerning fraudulent voting seriously. Does this mean that they've uncovered something in their investigations?

Maybe, maybe not.

This isn't the first time that rumours have circulated that Eurovision has been rigged. It was alleged that the contest was fixed for Spain to win in 1968 and in the 1990s Malta faced accusations of corruption after a member of the delegation was said to have been overheard apparently offering votes in 1993. It's certainly interesting to look back at the Maltese votes in that year and indeed in 1994 and 1995; they appeared to award countries that were at the bottom of the scoreboard. Hoping that those countries might return the favour the following year, perhaps?

I welcome these changes to the voting procedure for 2014 and hope that it leads to a fairer contest in the spirit which it was intended. I do however, think that much of the hype concerning Eurovision voting is pedaled by people with an axe to grind. Take the lovely Bonnie Tyler for example, who claimed after the show that she heard Russians talking about buying votes (does she even understand Russian??) and that corruption means that artists like her have no chance. Such rumours suited Bonnie though, it's much easier to blame others than to admit that you simply weren't good enough.

One thing worth thinking about it the fact that the voting has become dull and monotonous, to the point where the semi final results are more exciting. We've not had a close contest since 2003. With nearly 40 countries voting, I think it's unlikely that we'll see a tense voting procedure in the near future.

As Stalin was rumoured to have said, it's not the voting that counts, it's who counts the votes...

From Russia with love?

Where has the summer gone?!

I've been busy finishing my book amongst other things, more on that next week. In the meantime here's an article which I wrote for ESC Insight

The situation in Russia is dire and it's not an attempt to excuse it, more of an opportunity to try and provoke a wider debate. Comments welcome, as always!

Nothing comes from Pride but Pride?

It's summer and the sun is shining! Happy days indeed. Every summer a plethora of Gay Pride events take place across the UK, some are good, some are bad and some are very ugly! These are interesting times for gay people in the UK and indeed Europe. Never have us Brits had it so good; marriage equality has passed in the House of Lords and the future looks bright. Do we still need gay pride then? Surely all the big battles have been won? 

Not quite.

It's very easy for us to be complacent, these hard-won rights can so easily be taken away as history in Europe has shown. Across the continent in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia serious battles are going on. Both Russia and Ukraine passed a series of ridiculous anti-gay laws last month which basically means that even mentioning the word gay might be seen as an offence by promoting it. Developments in Russia in particular make Tebbit and Thatcher's gay-bashing in the 1980s seem like a walk down the yellow brick road in comparison! These laws are serious though and could impact upon tourists too. Reports have emerged that openly gay visitors to Russia can be arrested under these laws. What will happen to gay athletes and their supporters next year at the Winter Olympics in Sochi? What will happen should Russia win Eurovision again? These are serious issues which in the likely event they do win the right to stage the contest again in the near future, will have a direct impact on the majority of Eurovision fans attending. 

To play devil's advocate for a minute, it could be argued that Eurovision is first and foremost a television show, not a gay event. Of course the reality is somewhat different. Eurovision has routinely been used as a platform for protest and like Azerbaijan in 2012, it offers a spotlight for those wishing to make themselves heard. If Eurovision goes to Russia then I think it could possibly be a good thing in the long-term. Such issues are a reminder that things aren't so easy for people in other countries, just like things weren't so great here in the UK not too long ago. 

Gay Pride in the UK is no longer the protest it once was, it's a celebration of diversity and as was the case of Bristol Pride last weekend, it is increasingly becoming a family event. It's worth remembering though that homophobic attacks are on the increase and people still die in the UK from such attacks. For those who want to go, get drunk and watch a series of live acts take to the stage, fine, they're lucky to be able to do that. The opportunity didn't just appear from thin air. I saw a sign at the weekend which reminded me of the true meaning of pride, which is often forgotten. Where there is pride there is also prejudice. I know who I'll be raising a toast to in Manchester next month.

A Greek tragedy

The economic situation in Greece appears to go from bad to worse these days. Yesterday the BBC reported that the Greek government are to close the national broadcaster, ERT. Protests ensued and again the image of Greece as a bankrupt state is re-inscribed. This move has serious repercussions, not only for Greece's future participation in Eurovision of course, which until now, ERT have done very well to remain a part of (through private sponsorship) but also for civil society. Earlier today the European Broadcasting Union issued a statement urging the government to reconsider their decision. 

The existence of public service media and their independence from government lie at the heart of democratic societies, and therefore any far-reaching changes to the public media system should only be decided after an open and inclusive democratic debate in Parliament – and not through a simple agreement between two government ministers.

This move comes as more austerity cuts hit the country. Arguably there is a need to reform ERT however to simply cut the line, quite literally, as the government have done, is worrying. There was no debate, no platform for consultation, it's almost as if Greece are heading for authoritarianism. ERT is the equivalent of the BBC in Greece, it's almost unthinkable that one day two ministers could decide to pull the plug. Public broadcasting is important for civil society and in a country where the swing to far-right groups has been massive, it's arguably more pertinent than ever that Greece's public broadcasting services remain in operation. ERT is also incredibly important for the Greek community abroad. It seems when it comes to balancing the budget, culture and identity don't feature in the final shake-up. Worrying times ahead and I fear it'll only get worse for the ordinary people in Greece. 

Only The Women Know

Yesterday I gave a talk to members of the Women's Institute in Cardiff. I was slightly nervous to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect or how they would respond to a presentation about Eurovision. It turns out that my concerns were misplaced, what a hoot! 

The WI is an interesting organisation and judging from the activities they have planned for the coming weeks, it's clear that there's a lot more to these ladies than just "Jam and Jerusalem". These women hold some serious political clout too and are regularly asked for their comments on the issues of the day. Whilst it might be argued that they represent a narrow, middle class view of the world, I think we underestimate people, in particular the older generation. I posted a photo of the group on my Facebook page and one of my friends (jokingly) commented that they would have been against the equal marriage bill which was being voted on that evening in the House of Lords. I'm sure many would have been. I'm also sure that may would not have. One thing is for sure, we are quick to judge. 

A friend of mine has a grandmother who is 91, she's quite religious and traditional. You might think she might be borderline homophobic in her views. The reality couldn't be further from the truth. Without sounding patronising, some of the women in the audience last night had a wealth of life experiences, we'd do well to learn from some of them. I thought I'd be going into a room full of jam-making, tweed-wearing housewives. Instead I met a group of empowered, political and engaging women of varying ages.

I took the ladies for a trip down memory lane through songs from yesteryear interspersed with some of the more political anecdotes from Eurovision. If they weren't interested, they didn't show it. For years I have argued that Eurovision goes hand in hand with nation building. My experiences last night shows that Eurovision has also been a part of so many peoples formative years; "I remember Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson". When it comes to Eurovision some people love it, some hate it. Some love to hate it. It's the one event that practically everyone has an opinion on, which, nearly 60 years since the inaugural contest, is really powerful. 

  

Bother in the Bosphorus

Thoroughly depressing scenes have emerged from Turkey over the weekend. Anti-government protests were forcibly broken up in both Istanbul and the capital Ankara. Many are concerned that the Erdogan government is increasingly authoritarian and have made their voices heard. Interestingly there is also a fear amongst secular Turks that their country is heading in the same direction as Iran. Turkey has always been a rather unique country, between East and West. It seems that this division is much more than a geograhical one. 

In 2013 Turkey withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest. TRT, the national broadcaster, cited that they were unhappy with the changes to the voting proceedure amongst other things. This is curious given that under the current voting system Turkey have fared very well, including finishing 4th in 2009 and second in 2010. Turkish friends of mine suggested that there were deeper issues at play here and that Turkey is moving away from Europe. Could it be that the withdrawal from the ESC was a reflection of developments on the domestic political scene? Certainly the furore concerning the Finnish same-sex kiss and the  last-minute decision by TRT not to broadcast the final suggests that the political elite in the country appear to have fallen out of love with Eurovision. And Europe. 

In Sweden this year, just days before the contest took place, the Greek group,  Koza Mostra, performed at the Euro Cafe for the fans. They opened their set by performing Turkey's entry from 2004, "Up". Given the history between the two countries this in itself was pretty symbolic, however, the accompanying statement went further. "Turkey we love you, Turkey should be in Eurovision". Given the developments going on in the country at the minute, as well as the continuing debates concerning Turkey's place in Europe more generally, I wouldn't be surprised if Turkey don't return to the contest in the near future. Yet another example of Eurovision reflecting the wider political discourses of the day.