That UK then? – Never knowingly undersold but always hammered…

So, according to Mo I have to give you MOAR words of wisdom on the UK Final.

Firstly, I have to say that me and lots of other people that I know are a little pissed off with another year of negativity from certain quarters.

Let’s start with the winner. Lucie Jones has a decent base to work with. She has a strong ballad written by a Eurovision winner that has lots of potential and a familiarity to the ear, as though we are hearing a tune that has got into our mind from the start. All positive things usually. The BBC also won’t be able to bugger up the staging with their usual tinkering, thank the Lord, because this song is all about the voice. And Lucie’s voice is strong. (Unlike some of the performances on E:YD – Danyl – you can tell she believes in the song.

It’s not all positive. Whilst Lucie looked amazing in her red dress, she needs to look at the camera more, because she didn’t connect with the viewing audience in any way, shape or form. That needs to be addressed sooner rather than later because (and lets be honest here), this is going to struggle, in its present form, to get Mrs Amstelveen in Den Haag picking up the phone. But it’s not a million miles away.

It’s a complex, well-written song that she performs really well. Come May will be right up there in the juries’ minds … remember them? They are the ones that give 50% of the marks. It’s clearly aimed squarely at the people that read the Green Guide and for once, that’s a good start.

What it isn’t is either a manufactured false sounding attempt to have “fun” at the contest or an embarrassment.  It is a genuine attempt at a song to do well in the modern contest. People on the internets need to get rid of their negativity towards the UK as a whole, and the BBC in particular, and congratulate them for actually going out and getting a Eurovision winner to write our song! Do you seriously think Emmelie de Forest is going to damage her reputation by writing a stinker? Do you think the BBC are going to not plaster this all over the place by telling Europe that a winner has written for the UK?

“Bland, boring, uninspired” are just some of the words I have heard to describe the British Eurovision Song Contest entry for 2017. Think back through recent Eurovision history.

Silent Storm wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs and that did well. Empty Room wasn’t exactly an exciting little ditty but Eurovisonistas still cream themselves.

It’s easy to attach yourself to another country and run down what is in front of you, but OnEurope won’t be doing that. Lucie and the BBC have the potential to finish reasonably high up the board. At the moment, I’m thinking 9^th-14^th, because it doesn’t YET have the televoting grab, but they can iron that out.

I’m not bothered about the singer’s live ability. I’m not bothered she’s from XFactor. I’m not even bothered she’s probably the ringer in this contest. She’ll do OK.