This article forms part of the OnEurope archive and was originally published on oneurope.co.uk. It has been permanently migrated to oneurope.net, the official home of OnEurope.
After five years of foot-stamping, dummy-spitting, flouncing and general whinging, you have what you wanted: a UK national final from the BBC. And you think they are listening to the fans.
Here’s the news: they probably aren’t, in all honesty.
It’s a bit like the Labour Party in the UK voting in a left-wing leader and saying, “OK… let’s see if you can do any better.” Oh, like that never happens in real life? Except it does, and it has here. The BBC have finally gone, “Shut up… shut up… shut up… here’s what we get year in and year out. Let’s see if you (just you) can do any better than we can.”
It’s a gamble, certainly, but it’s a win-win for the BBC. Win, and they have a winner and a good result, and they look all-inclusive. Lose, and lose badly, and they can say to the so-called fans, “See, you can’t do any better when we give you a chance. Now go away.” And, frankly, they have a point. I hope that the fan club got involved with its eyes open and not with its sycophancy glasses on.
It’s a broadcaster’s job to pick a song, and it is not, in my opinion, a “fan’s” job to get involved in song selection. The fanbase can’t decide anything, so giving them this power is like giving meths to an alcoholic and going, “I dare you…”
It’ll be interesting to see what the fan club think of what is, essentially, a normal ASFE entry system, with the inclusion of BASCA, and with record companies and music professionals involved—presumably going, “Hahahah, no,” when asked if their charges will sing for the UK.
What will we end up with? Twenty-six sets of G:Sson by numbers, with no musical differences between them, following the blandifestivalen pattern? Probably. Anything musically different from the norm? Probably not. However, interestingly, the BBC do retain the right to put their own songs back into the mix.
Also, it seems that the national final is, well, a bit vague on the old detail here. But hey, adding to the “excitement”, I guess. Leaving us interestingly poised, juxtaposed between what we want to see happening in an ideal world and what that actuality looks like.
To me, it’s a potential recipe for a bland disaster that leads to a formulaic final and mid-table obscurity which, whilst on the surface is good, could well alienate the fan club even more if they are set up as a patsy for any fallout.
Danger, Will Robinson, you have been warned.
