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Handing control of Britain’s entry this year to a record label is a daringly anti-democratic response to years of abject failure
Asked why Britain struggles so badly at the Eurovision song contest, Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus made it sound simple in a recent interview. It was, he said, a question of finding “the right songwriters”.
Yes indeed. But what might seem straightforward for Mr Ulvaeus has become horribly complicated for the United Kingdom, which has underperformed in the competition to a startling degree for more than 20 years. Britain’s last victory came in 1997, with Love, Shine a Light by Katrina and the Waves. Years of failure and sometimes outright humiliation followed, most famously in 2003, when Jemini finished last with no points at all. Last year Michael Rice fared little better, scoring a miserable 11 points and also finishing at the bottom of the pile. Continue reading...