How will Eurovision judge Brexit Britain’s entry? – Kezia Dugdale

The Eurovision song contest is taking place again this week – for the first time ever it will be broadcast live from Tel Aviv following Israel’s Netta Barzilai’s historic win last year.

The annual singing competition dates back to 1956 and is a bit Marmite, you either love it or you hate it – all those over-the-top outfits, often bizarre on-stage performances and questionable key changes!

Regardless, millions of fans will be gearing up for Eurovision week now, looking ahead to the grand finale on Saturday night. Eurovision-themed parties will see sales of German bockwurst, Italian meat platters and any other European foodstuffs booming!

Graham Norton is an excellent compere for the evening and his pithy comments often hit the nail on the head as the evening goes on, but Terry Wogan was the man who made many of us fall in love with the contest, having commented on it for 35 years up to 2008.

This year British hopes are pinned on former X-Factor contestant Michael Rice with his power ballad (key change included!) Bigger Than Us.

I’m prepared for our entry to bomb as it regularly does, because, as we all know, voting in the Eurovision Song Contest is deeply political.

Perhaps our friends in Europe, though, will reach out, lend us some much-needed support, and despite Brexit, send a message to us that they want us to stay.

I’ll not hold my breath though as it’s likely that we will hear the ever repetitive nul points more often than not.