Performative voting

Does Eurovision really matter?

No, obviously not. It’s a contrived TV spectacle that foregrounds music which often bears little resemblance to what is popular in a country at the time. 

But it does, somewhat bizarrely, offer an insight into both media and geopolitics that knotty public statements and hushed diplomacy does not.

In Moldova, there were mass public protests over the decision to give only three points to next-door Romania and no points to the country’s other neighbour, Ukraine. Moldova is currently grappling with Russian aggression, slow economic growth, and a state of emergency over its energy markets. But this, this was worth marching in the street for.

The uproar led to the resignation of the head of the public broadcaster, Vlad Turcan (can you imagine a more Moldovan name? No, we’re actually asking - we have no idea).

It was far from the only controversy surrounding this year’s song contest. Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland all boycotted the competition in protest at Israel’s appearance. When the country briefly rose to first place in the voting, there was audible booing from the crowd.

Elsewhere, Romania’s ‘Choke Me’ was alleged to be “glamourising sexual strangulation” and the UK…well, the UK came bottom after getting zero points from the voting public. Good to know some things never change.

There have been literal academic papers written about voting patterns and diplomacy in Eurovision. But what used to be a bit of fun has taken on a more serious tone. 

As people pay less attention to the complex nature of international relations, the opportunity to send a message through a cultural institution becomes more important. It certainly lands on feeds and generates more conversation than a standard intervention from a government official. Just ask Vlad. 

Does Eurovision matter? Still no. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t interesting and perhaps even a little insightful.