Not even trying any more

I can remember back in the late 60's and early 70's watching the Eurovision song contest and quite enjoying it, other than the occasional droner from various places using their native language. Not that I had any problems with foreign languages, just ballads, I liked my music to be quite frivolous in those days until I discovered the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. In later years I occasionally watched it to see what Terry Wogan would have to say and watch as he got ever so slightly inebriated towards the end of it and ever so slightly politically incorrect. That was when the politics took over and you could almost guarantee certain countries would only vote for their friends and not because it was a decent tune and Wogan knew this and mocked the process pitilessly.
Still, it looks like this year we've actually given up trying...
BBC.

British crooner Engelbert Humperdinck is to represent the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
The 75-year-old, dubbed the "King of Romance", is best known for his 1967 hit Release Me, which kept The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever off the number one spot.
The singer said it was "an absolute honour" to be taking part and was "excited and raring to go".

Now no disrespect to Mr Humperdinck who has had success in the past and is/was a good singer and it may turn out that the song itself is a classic. However Abba he isn't, nor I suspect will he be able to overcome the political inertia of the voting system whereby Turkey always votes high for Germany (and vice versa) and Greece always gives Turkey null points and no-one votes for us any more as we're not particularly liked by anyone. The problem is, they (Eurovision) know that we now treat the contest as a bit of a joke, it's why we cannot get a mainstream band to ever perform in it as they know it will be the kiss of death for their careers, such is the stigma now attached to the institution.

Katie Taylor, BBC head of entertainment and events said: "Not since the 70s have we had such an established international musical legend represent the nation.

Says it all really, yes Englebert Humperdinck is a legend, but he's only a legend to a certain generation in the UK and probably just some weird guy the Brits are throwing at Eurovision to mock the process (again)
I wish him luck, he probably wont win, but it might earn him a few pennies.
I expect it will be Cliff Richard or Lulu next year...
I'd watch it again if they'd bring back Sir terry Wogan, well perhaps only the voting stage, that's where the fun really began.