Scotland's entry into Eurovision could be Hue & Cry singing the Jeely Piece song. Douze points all round! – John McLellan

The UK's James Newman reacts after failing to score any points at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest (Picture: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

It’s a light-entertainment programme born during different times and signifies very little apart from a means to express nationhood or settle national scores which doesn’t involve kicking a ball or invading each other.

So I wasn’t bothered in the slightest that the UK entry – whatever it was... – finished with nul points, and in the Brexit aftermath I’d have been disappointed with anything more.

Nor was I too fazed by the Twitter remark by Glasgow’s convener of education, Rhiannon Spear, that “it’s OK Europe because we hate the United Kingdom too”.

Speak for yourself Rhiannon, but I just take it as read that SNP politicians hate the UK, otherwise they wouldn’t spend their every waking moment trying to break it up.

And Alyn Smyth MP saying that now was the time to “talk seriously about entering UK nations separately into the contest” was only surprising that, pandemic or no pandemic, a politician was recommending an earnest discussion about something so trite.

Nevertheless, it would add to the comedy to see all those EU nations except Spain giving douze points to Hue & Cry singing the Jeely Piece song accompanied by paper and comb, just to stick it up the English.

John McLellan is a Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston

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