2009: Best. Eurovision. Ever.

Vastly entertaining news out of Ireland yesterday: glove puppet and edgy children's telly star Dustin the Turkey has been chosen as the Irish entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Needless to say, anyone vaguely familiar with the nature of Eurovision knows that the song, titled "Irelande Douze Pointe", is a parody and a piss-take from beginning to end. And it's freakin' hilarious - see it here at YouTube.

Some grumpy people have been complaining about the selection of Dustin, saying that it demeans the serious intent of presenting real talent at Eurovision. But people like that are dreaming. The last ten years or so have seen the competition become weirder and weirder, with rampant political/cultural block-voting and an increasing preponderance of campy parody entries. I think the choice of Dustin is actually a canny move. Though some of the Irish Eurovision officials bemoan the lack of success that Irish acts have had in recent years, I don't think most people seriously want a win. After taking home the Eurovision prize three times in the 1990s, most Irish people were a bit embarrassed by the whole schlocky thing. Plus, the national broadcaster RTE was none too pleased at having to fork out millions to host the competition repeatedly for a while there (the winning nation has the 'honour' of hosting - and paying for - the contest the following year).

So Dustin is off to Serbia this spring, carrying the pride of the nation in his big pink beak. To use his own catchphrase, "Go on ya good ting!"