What exactly is the point of Eurovision? It can’t be about the music. Britain, the nation that gifted the world the Beatles, David Bowie and the Spice Girls, has been scraping the bottom of the scoreboard for years – thanks to a string of forgettable, frankly embarrassing entries that wouldn’t have looked out of place at a boozy holiday camp open-mic night.

The UK hasn’t been alone in putting forward dire entries, but perhaps that then has always been the point. Much to the delight of the millions who watch and feast on Eurovision’s glorious banquet of kitsch and camp – a ding-a-dong smorgasbord where spectacle is compulsory and, for many countries, talent distinctly optional. Eurovision has endured as a place where countries built bridges in one of the world’s few, ahem, ‘artistic’ spaces. Somewhere to join hands, whip off skirts and celebrate what passed for music amidst pantomime costumes, big hair, and dad-dancing choreography.

Now, the wind has changed direction: Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Spain’s RTVE, Ireland’s RTE, and Slovenia’s RTV said yesterday that they will not participate in the 2026 contest because of Israel’s presence in the competition. It follows the European Broadcasting Union’s general assembly declaration yesterday that the Jewish state would be allowed to compete.

It is vital to condemn the action of the boycotters. Since they risk ushering in a new dawn for Eurovision – as a platform to........

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