European Parliament election

As it is now but a few days before the European Parliament election the time is now ripe for reviewing materials relating to the available alternatives. Normally I would review policy platforms and lend additional credence to those planks that they seem most eager to promote, rather than those tucked away for only the keenest to discover. However, this is a peculiar election and I don't know if or how to adjust for that fact. After all, the elected candidate may expect to serve but a brief, weakened term and many will regard the outcome of the election as being about something other than by whom we wish to be represented for the Parliament's actual business. Anyhow, on my ballot paper I expect: ( ten options. )

The various leaflets that I list above appear to confirm that this EU election is viewed as being more about UK governance than EU governance.

I wonder why a second referendum is branded a people's vote; perhaps there is some sense in which the previous wasn't such. In wondering who doesn't count as people I may be oversensitive after talk of real Americans (in apparent contrast to those effete city folks).

Eurovision Song Contest

I just overheard, What the hell am I looking at? It's like bad burlesque. That sums up the Eurovision experience nicely. This year's has been easier for me to categorize than usual; indeed, many of the songs fall into one of two categories: boringly generic or quite catchy. Additionally a few might be noted as taking themselves far too seriously. The staging hasn't been as striking as in some recent years.

I liked San Marino's entry more than my family did and I definitely liked Slovenia's strange one more than they; it was considered creepy. They liked Denmark's more than I. Norway was an easier agreement and I found Iceland's more accessible than I had expected. I liked Greece's too even though it was as entertainingly strange as Australia's^*. It was nice to see that North Macedonia got renamed in the end, I had missed that news.

I was surprised that Madonna's segment seemed so bad though I suppose I've not much noticed her career since Music nearly twenty years ago now.

^*Eurovision? Don't think about it too hard. This year's contest came from Tel Aviv.

Update: The Netherlands won. Personally I found their entry boring and in the taking themselves too seriously category. As usual, my preferences correlate better with the public vote than the judges' though I didn't think Belarus and Malta were quite that bad.