Rethinking the Eurovision

Sir, – The Eurovision often acted as the diplomatic bridge of soft politics, giving all participating countries the chance to showcase their creative talents. This helped less well-off and lesser known countries a stage in Europe for one night, exposing them to millions of viewers across the globe which was fun and enjoyed by many. This all happened no matter what was taking place in their backyards.

There appears to be a move away from the contest’s version of soft politics to a more pronounced hard politics. Eurovision has lost its fun factor. The expression of entrenched political viewpoints has crept in recently. Why bother entering next year if you don’t have a political viewpoint that you simply must tell everyone about!

Eurovision must be brought back to its core values of music, fun and equality, and that applies to the equality of holding differing political views. – Yours, etc,

SEAN McGIVNEY,

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Ballsbridge,

Dublin 4.