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Barnhill, Jura. June 2015. (Thanks to the kindness of the Fletcher family).

Lost in Translation?

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Edited by John Gynn, Saturday, 13 May 2017, 21:37

Giving his State of the Union address in Florence on May 5th, the President of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said that the English language (no doubt measuring his comment in light of the UK's secession from the EU) was "losing its importance".

Not so, it seems, in the eyes of the trio of Ukranian presenters hosting tonight's Eurovision Song Contest.

Indeed it seems the early contestants are also performing in English.

It will be interesting to see if the Brexit decision will have any bearing on the position of the UK's entry in a competition where geo-political affinity and messages of solidarity and concern can be aired with some modest impact.

Twenty years, says narrator Graham Norton, since the UK last won.

"Together we'll dance through the storm" ended the lyrics to the UK's (rather good) entry - with quite a cheer throughout the crowd.

Might a vote of post-Brexit solidarity be on the cards to confound recent UK Eurovision results on this occasion?

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