Big day for Iceland

Last night we sat watching elections all night. First the Eurovision Song Contest which Iceland was knocked out of quite unjustly because of neighbourly voting in eastern Europe and a limited Scandinavian population to back up a pretty good attempt, by Eurovision standards, by Eiríkur Hauksson. Perhaps not being a beautiful blond model didn't help either. Still, being knocked out before the final didn´t stop folk taking everything seriously and being outrageously irritated by the unfair, political voting. This year west versus east Europe it seems. It didn´t help pointing out that it has always been like that. Also didn´t stop Iceland voting for Sweden and Finland at 10 and 12 points.

Then, to my horror, before the winner was announced, just seconds before the finale and replay of the winning song, the TV cut to watch the other big event of the day.. watching the ballot results coming from across Iceland. For yesterday was the Icelandic parliamentary elections that threatened at least to be a pretty close run. In the end the two parties in the ruling coalition were voted back in, but that wasn´t too clear until around 4am.

Of course I couldn't vote for the politicians but it was pointed out to me to soothe the loss that I had one big advantage over everyone here .. I could still put my political ideas into practise by voting twice for the Eurovision, once with my Icelandic mobile and once with my British one.

A suitable follow up to Lordi? Photo by Peter Stubbs

This all reminded me of the recent elections in Scotland. I couldn't vote there either because it was deemed not to be a national election despite being my nation. I had some lively conversations in Edinburgh and was brought close to tears at the unusual levels of hope and community strength in the city. Perhaps for once we Scots were able to believe that there could be change and hope for the country, that we could make a difference and be proud. For how can you proudly hold your head up to the world if you have no power to make decisions for your own country? Keep harking back to the great Scots of old and those who went away from Scotland and did brave and exceptional things abroad? Or am I just getting all Sean Connery-like and getting more pro-Scots than any Scot still living at home? Not sure I want that to happen. Or is it just more noticeable to me now that a small country can do well as an independent nation?

If an independent Scotland were entered into the Eurovison which political connections would they be trying to maintain through the media of drag acts and sparkles? Well, apparently there was a Scot there, singing for Montenegro, who´s ancestor "William Faddy, .. came through Montenegro on the Crusades and fell in love with a local girl and decided to stay". He hoped that would help his song win Scottish support. Viewed that way, the Norwegians, Danes and Irish should have voted to keep Iceland in the contest and perhaps Iceland would have won Eurovision.. just like they should have done of course!