Viewed in any way objectively, the concept of formal competition in things cultural is strange in the extreme. Nothing unusual, of course, in artists or entertainers measuring themselves against others, against yardsticks imaginary or real, but shoehorning all this into a competition between notional equals just screams ‘odd’, if one can imagine that word as a scream. It’s all about as scientific as a bonnie baby contest, no matter the mantle of respectability the competition might attempt to sport. A contest between countries ups the weirdness further, as nationalism, political intrigue and rudderless kitsch become melded in one unholy union. This is why the Eurovision Song Contest is such great fun, whether you approach it through a pall of mordant irony (the Terry Wogan school) ...
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