Let us all have a sense of proportion

Up to the day when Malta obtained such a poor result in the Eurovision Song Contest, I was convinced of one thing insofar as Malta's competitiveness internationally goes. When we perform and compete, we do far better individually than as groups.

In fact, considering our tiny size, we can well say that we are almost oversuccessful when we perform individually. We seem to be better when we perform individually than as team players.

For instance, we have great dancers but somehow group performances fall flat. Our football players can be good but as a team we lack teamwork.

All this became horribly evident when on returning from Latvia Lynn Chircop chose to be critical of the chairman of the organising committee.

Although he was very diplomatic, his comments too showed that a certain team spirit was lacking, as did the comments from the man who was meant to design a better outfit for Lynn but did not.

Let us be clear about one thing. The song as written was as good as any we have had so far. But her performance on the day was not as great as she claimed, though I feel that a more fair placing would have been the middle rather than the end.

She looked tense the minute she stepped out on stage. It just was not her kind of show, whereas Ira Losco, for example, appeared very much at ease and everything about her, from the outfit she wore to her gestures, oozed charm and all manner of appeal.

It is no good blaming chairmen or marketing. Most people in Europe who vote, droves of older women and gays who love the show, as well as people in every age range in Malta, just go with their hearts!

Turkey put on a great show, earning top votes. So, on the whole, the best songs do well in Eurovision despite the obvious bias there is between Greece and Cyprus and Russia and all its satellites!

Perhaps we need to have Gozo considered as a separate country so as to ensure we get top votes from at least one country, although a friend warned me not to be so sure about this either! Really, all this talk about countries supporting each other has got to stop.

How did Malta do so well in recent years then? In fact I am amazed at how well we normally do. This year we did badly but I hope we can get out of this Eurovision rut and enjoy it more and take it far less seriously than we are doing now.

It was heartening seeing so many people greeting Lynn on her return. On her part, Lynn should not have used the occasion to lash out at others. But as she too must have been imbued with that national feeling that we have to do well at Eurovision, she must have felt she let us all down.

Well she did not. She was fine. We all still like her and she may have a great career ahead of her in the business if she wants to anyway. Eurovision hardly sets up great careers for its contestants.

Let us all have a sense of proportion. This year the Maltese and Gozitans voted with their heads, not their hearts or their selfish self-interests, for Malta to join the EU where we belong, at least for the foreseeable future.

That was a win for us all, not just a win for one political party. We did not get a high placing at Eurovision this year but we took part and there is no shame in the result of a song competition.

This country has to keep its eye on the big picture and stop getting swamped and depressed by mere details.

Of course this is easier to preach than to practise!