Eurovision, Israel and the politics of pop music

<p>Over the weekend, Eurovision got a feel-good ending. Bulgaria won the contest for the very first time with their infectious song Bangaranga. And Australia came close - with Delta Goodrem placing 4th.</p> <p>But the controversy over Israel didn&rsquo;t go away. Israeli singer Noam Bettan finished second, after getting a huge huge public vote &ndash; despite protests outside the contest, boycotts from five countries, and warnings over the Israeli broadcaster KAN running a campaign telling people to vote ten times.</p> <p>Eurovision insists it&rsquo;s a non-political contest... but over the past three years, Israel&rsquo;s place in it&nbsp; has exposed how political that stage can be &ndash; and how useful it can be for a government trying to shape how the world sees it.</p> <p>Today, author of Eurovision!: A History of Modern Europe Through the World&rsquo;s Greatest Song Contest, Chris West, on the boycott, the vote, and how Israel turned the world&rsquo;s biggest song contest into a soft-power campaign.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>If you enjoy <em>7am</em>, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And Eurovision audio is courtesy of SBS.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Socials:</strong><strong> </strong>Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a></p> <p><strong>Guest:</strong> Author of <em>Eurovision!: A History of Modern Europe Through the World's Greatest Song Contest</em>, Chris West.</p> <p><strong>Photo:&nbsp;</strong>EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>