Tonight my family will watch the EUROVISION song contest final as we have done for many years. We will enjoy games and taste flavours from all over Europe. I remember watching on TV as a child with my family and enjoying the rare opportunity to hear the languages beyond England and see the cultures as communicated through music and dance. I think it was a huge influence which contributed to my embracing langauge learning and travel. It fostered open minded acceptance of diversity and appreciation of the commonalities we all share such as the desire for peace, love and understanding. Cheesy maybe.

With the advent of social media, in particular Twitter, the evening was further enhanced by real time interactions and these were especially appreciated by the language teaching community. Since Brexit, this event has become a significant way to express how we (“Remainers”) miss being a part of the European Union and how we still appreciate the many nations taking part as one big family.

Of course, as with many families, there are disagreements. Over the years the realities of international relations are reflected in major events such as the Olympic Games and other large international gatherings. There are protests and calls for boycotts and sanctions. It is right (indeed an important human right) that we are able to make our views known. I fully respect the rights of each person to make their own choices regarding whether they wish to watch or boycott tonight’s final. It is not enough to say that this is not a political event, politics infiltrates all aspects of human life. You cannot put your head in the sand this way. As someone who loathes what is happening in Gaza (and indeed in many places around the globe) it was tempting to boycott EUROVISION. So hear’s my thinking on why our family celebrations will go ahead.

• Both Israel and Palenstine have the right to exist as peaceful, independant nations
• The current dreadful and disproportionate actions of the Zionist government are to be condemned. I agree with the thoughts expressed here on Mastadon. They provide clear evidence in favour of remaining engaged with the process of the EUROVISION final 2024.
• The spirit of EUROVISION is one of tolerance and mutual respect. In an era of the proliferation of dangerously authoritarian leaderships, we must unite to uphold the community we cherish.
• We must encourage each other to dive deep and reflect critically on our choices. The AI deep fake era will continue to manipulate our actions unless we question wisely.

Of course EUROVISION is not perfect, neither is the European Union. Nor life itself. Politics – as is increasingly clear through the current failures to act on our climate crisis – won’t solve that. As individuals working together we can make a difference. We have to understand the challenges and be prepared to contribute to the solutions if we are to defeat those who would cause confusion and divide us.