Calls increase for both Wales, the Welsh language and Scotland to be represented at the Eurovision song contest
Calls for both Wales and the Welsh language to be represented in the Eurovision Song contest have increased after the UK scored nul points last night.
It comes after nation.cymru yesterday published two stories asking ‘How come Wales is not represented?’ and another with experts giving their views on ‘What’s stopping Wales competing in Eurovision – and would we do better than the UK?’
It was a disappointing night for James Newman, the only contestant to score zero points from the jury vote and from the public vote, coming bottom on the leaderboard.
The singer, who is the older brother of pop star John Newman, had hoped to win over viewers with his rendition of upbeat track Embers, inspired by the end of lockdown.
The final competition, held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after the show was cancelled in 2020, was won by Italy with rock band Maneskin’s Zitti E Buoni.
The calls for both Wales and Scotland to be represented was made by James Kelly, who writes the pro-independence blog ‘Scot Goes Pop!’, who reminded people that 60% of the Scottish public demand a Scottish entry in the contest.
In all seriousness, what do the BBC think they have to lose at this stage by letting the Home Nations compete separately? This happens almost every year. The UK brand is loathed. Scotland and Wales might at least manage respectability. #Eurovision
— James Kelly (@JamesKelly) May 22, 2021
Plaid Cymru honorary president Lord Dafydd Wigley, whose wife Elinor is an accomplished harpist, said on Twitter.
Is the UK performance in the European Song Contest – being last without a single point – a reflection of more than the merits of the song but of the contempt with which the world now regards Bojo's broken friendless Britain? High time Wales had own entry in Euro song contest.
— Dafydd Wigley (@Dafydd_Wigley) May 23, 2021
And former Plaid Cymru leader and Rhondda MS Leanne Wood also said on Twitter:
Nil points for UK in Eurovision. Wonder why?!? 🤔
I bet we would have had a tonne of points with a #Wales entry. 🏴#LandOfSong
— Leanne Wood 🏴 (@LeanneWood) May 23, 2021
Some 7.4 million people tuned in to watch the competition on BBC One, giving the channel a 48.5% share of the audience.
It was the biggest overnight audience for a Eurovision final since 2014.
Newman took his defeat in good humour, drinking a beer and standing up to applause from the live audience in the arena.
The UK is no stranger to the bottom of the Eurovision leaderboard and came in last place in 2019 with Michael Rice’s Bigger Than Us.
On stage after the band’s victory, Maneskin frontman Damiano David shouted into the microphone: “We just wanted to say to the whole of Europe, to the whole world, rock and roll never dies.”
Full Eurovision results 2021
1. Italy – 524 points
2. France – 499 points
3. Switzerland – 432 points
4. Iceland – 378 points
5. Ukraine – 364 points
6. Finland – 301 points
7. Malta – 255 points
8. Lithuania – 220 points
9. Russia -204 points
10. Greece – 170 points
11. Bulgaria – 170 points
12. Portugal – 153 points
13. Moldova – 115 points
14. Sweden – 109 points
15. Serbia – 102 points
16. Cyprus – 94 points
17. Israel – 93 points
18. Norway – 75 points
19. Belgium – 74 points
20. Azerbaijan – 65 points
21. Albania – 57 points
22. San Marino – 50 points
23. Netherlands – 11 points
24. Spain – 6 points
25. Germany – 3 points
26. United Kingdom – 0 points
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Just one more thing that colonies don’t get.
I think the last time I fully watched this wonderful program a group called Aber was in it. Turned out they were Swedish, called ABBA and, much to my disappointment, nothing to do with wales at all. I realised that the only good bit was Terry Wogan commentating on the judging and best to skip the actual singing content. As one bitter Swedish producer of the contest complained in 2016, “He raised a generation of viewers believing this was a fun, kitsch show that had no relevance whatsoever.” Sir Terry deserved his knighthood just for doing that and saving me… Read more »
An exciting and inspiring Wales entry should have amassed a load of points – compared to a really average UK artist singing a really average song, performed on a really average stage. The judges and the European viewers gave the UK the thumbs-down with nil points, which was completely justified. It’s time to give Wales – and Scotland – a golden chance!
Dear Senedd, please put this matter to rest and get Wales a place in Eurovision 2022. If anyone knows how to sing and perform, it is the Welsh.
This is definitely something the Senedd should care about and spend time on. I am a totally serious person and very clever.
I agree, our Eurovision entry this year was pathetic. The act deserved a big NIL points. There are many Welsh acts which are far better.
Britain = England. No one likes England. Simple.
Only independent countries can enter. The BBC could choose to enter a song in Welsh or Gaelic just as France once entered a song in Breton, but it would still be the UK entry.
The UK isn’t an independent country either though.
Welsh could only hope for the kind of support from the establishment that Breton gets.
Is this an ironic comment.? Only yesterday it was ruled in the French courts that mainly Breton – language education is illegal and against the constitution!
Wales tried to enter Eurovision in 1969 under the direction of Meredydd Evans at BBC Wales and Cân i Cymru came to be to find a song but it was decided that the BBC would continue to send one song for the UK. This changed in the nineties when S4C sent a Welsh delegation to another EBU production, Jeux sans frontieres. In 2017 Wales entered Eurovision Choir because the BBC weren’t interested. Scotland followed suit under BBC Alba in 2019. Wales entered Junior Eurovision because the BBC nor ITV weren’t interested. And this is the deal. The big broadcasters ultimately… Read more »
Or maybe the song and performance were really bad….no, that can’t be it, right?
And just who is going to pay for it . With winning nations having to fork out approximately thirty million euros to host the next one ,who will be paying for that .
Difficult to get recent information on the cost of entering Eurovision; but it is published that in 2012, BBC pаid the Europeаn Broаdcаsting Union, £310,000. To host the event is in the region of £30m. A new primary school in Wales is in the region of £6m.