Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool was the most political since Portugal’s Brighton entry in 1974 started a military coup.
Judges on the night didn’t appreciate And After the Farewell - E depois do adeus - by crooner Paulo de Carvalho, the dirge sharing last place on a measly three points.
Brighton ‘74 is celebrated for launching winners Abba on the road to world domination yet 18 days later the Portuguese song playing on the radio was a secret signal for Left-leaning rebel young captains in Lisbon to rise up against an authoritarian regime.
The starring role of a Eurovision flop in a Carnation Revolution transitioning Portugal to democracy is an antidote to Vladmir Putin’s illegal invaders attacking Ukrainian act Tvorchi’s home city of Ternopil moments before they performed in Liverpool.
Scousers did Britain and Kyiv proud with a hugely popular competition but senior politicians in both the Conservative and Labour parties are increasingly worried about war fatigue.
The row over refusing Volodymyr Zelensky a video address was predictable and a Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer marching lockstep on Ukraine are united in supporting the victim of an unprovoked invasion diplomatically, financially and militarily.
Public support in Britain for Ukraine similarly remains strong but MPs report enthusiasm is waning with more gripes about the cost heard on doorsteps.
Pollster YouGov found those who say who wins matters a great deal to them falling to 44% from 51% a year ago though 81% of Britons still side with Ukraine, only 3% with Russia.
The UK avoiding Left-Right US divisions - Joe Biden’s Democrats arming Ukraine in the teeth of hostility from some Republicans including Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis - is a blessing.
Labour voices mutter quietly that Sunak taking public opinion for granted, however, could be a mistake in a cost of living crisis biting harder.
Tory boot boys going crazy over EU laws, strikes, immigration and Channel boats are ill-disciplined and unprincipled.
It would be unforgivable if those loose cannons used Ukraine as another stick to beat Sunak.
