In view of the embarrassment of Scotland being associated with the latest “United Kingdom” nul points fiasco at the Eurovision Song Contest last night (in reality there’s been no Scottish involvement in the UK entry since 1988), and bearing in mind that the Panelbase / Scot Goes Pop poll in April found 60% support for Scotland having its own entry at the Eurovision, I thought the time might be ripe to start a petition on the UK Parliament website.
In theory, if the petition goes live and attracts a very large number of signatures, it would trigger a debate in the House of Commons. That’s an enormous ‘if’, though, and the first hurdle to jump is to get five signatures to qualify for possible publication of the petition. If you’d like to sign (you need to be a British citizen or UK resident) please click HERE.
Petition title: Legislate to give Scotland its own entry in the Eurovision Song Contest.
What is being requested: Powers over Scottish broadcasting are reserved to Westminster. As the BBC have ignored representations to respect Scottish public opinion and give Scotland its own representation in cultural events including the Eurovision Song Contest, the UK Parliament should legislate to require this to happen.
More details: There is overwhelming evidence that the people of Scotland wish to be represented by Scottish entries, not UK entries, at cultural events such as the Eurovision. A reputable poll conducted in April found 60% support for Scottish representation, with only 40% preferring a UK entry. The BBC’s ignoring of licence payers’ wishes has become particularly intolerable in view of the annual embarrassment of the UK’s Eurovision performance. For national dignity, Scotland demands its Eurovision freedom.
Click this link to sign the petition.
(Once 21 signatures are reached, no more can be accepted until the petition is checked for publication, so I’ll update the post at that point.)
