Duitsland compenseert Europese anti-Duitse gevoelens met winst Eurovisiesongfestival (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Although Germany is feeling singularly unloved at a political level in Europe, it is basking in the kitschy glory of having won the Old Continent's eurovision song contest in Oslo on Saturday (29 May).
This year's show, adored and derided in apparently equal measure for showcasing saccharine-sweet songs, off-the-wall costumes and frankly startling back-up routines, was won by Germany's 19-year old Lena Meyer-Landrut. Her catchy song, 'Satellite', swept the boards.
While the songs themselves provide much of the amusement, each year political commentators tie themselves up in knots ascribing geo-political motives to how each country votes for the other finalists - a result based on voter call-ins.
Votes are scrutinised in light of recent wars and neighbourly tensions, or, this being Europe, long-standing feuds that go back centuries. Recent rapprochements are also viewed in terms of the final vote. Lately the contest has been the subject of some angry huffing and puffing that eastern European voters were giving the thumbs up to songs in their own region, no matter how dire.
This year the contest, watched by an estimated 120 million, was given an extra political frisson by the internal tensions in the eurozone - the EU's single currency area - which has been wracked by how to deal with debt-ridden Greece.
Athens' woes exposed the underlying problems of having a monetary union not backed up a political and fiscal union as countries struggled to find a solution to help it pay off debts. Germany, tired of being Europe's traditional paymaster, baulked at paying the lion's share and demanded more austerity measures from Greece.
Mass-selling tabloid Bild led a shrill anti-Greece campaign on its front pages while Germans showed themselves in polls to be strongly against helping the Mediterranean country.
The tensions exposed even further the rifts between France and Germany on how to respond to the crisis, saw the European Commission call Berlin "naive" and saw Chancellor Angela Merkel i crashing down from being something of a 'doyenne' among EU leaders to being widely criticised for lacking leadership. In a sign of the general mood, an editorial in the Financial Times today is entitled 'Don't be beastly to the Germans.'
Reacting to Ms Meyer-Landrut's win, Bild's headline on Sunday boomed: 'Europe does love us!'
Even Germany's politicians felt moved enough to comment, with foreign minister Guido Westerwelle appearing to give the song political and diplomatic weight.
"With her stirring performance she has elated all of Germany. Whether she wanted it or not, she has become an ambassador for our country. In just one night she has disproved all the old prejudices,' he said.
Meanwhile, some have been trying to read behind the scores. Germany's song received low points from Greece (two out of a possible 12) and France (3) a point noted by centre-right daily Die Welt in live commentary during the contest.
And some looked for the national link. 'German with Soviet ties wins eurovision', reported the Moscow Times in reference to the fact that Ms Meyer-Landrut's grandfather a former West German ambassador to the Soviet Union.
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