It was the same as usual for the Brits at Eurovision, as wild card entry Engelbert Humperdinck failed to deliver a belated victory for the United Kingdom, finishing just above Norway in the penultimate place on the chart.
The winner? A thumping, techno-infused foot-stopper that has already reached number one across parts of Northern Europe called ‘Euphoria’ by Swedish act LOREEN.
What does this mean for the UK’s hopes in future then, after all The Hump, as he affectionately became to be known, was supposed to be the throwback classic that would ensure a passable performance on stage and on the scoreboard. Calls for our withdrawal from what has become an annual humiliation were loud to begin with, now they are surely to be much louder than ever.
These calls didn’t just come from wanting to escape the banality of the whole affair, as controversy shrouded the event before the first note was sung. Questions arose over the suitability of host nation Azerbaijan because of its record of human rights abuses and media censorship. With winners Sweden taking up the post of hosts next year then the problem of political turmoil should not be something to lose sleep over, still the question arises as to whether its worth our time and money to bother entering again.