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Naked Leader Week 924 – 24 May 2021

Time to read: just over a minute

When Nil Points Got a Standing Ovation of Love

At Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest the UK’s James Newman came last

No change there, I hear you think, and you are right, this time though, something very different happened

Quick Background – Brexit has not exactly endeared the UK to the rest of Europe, and in this instance, it would seem, Australia! James Newman was due to enter in the cancelled 2020 event, and chose to stay on board, with a new song.

His reward was being the only entrant to receive no points whatsoever – which with the ‘Jury vote’ – separate to the public vote – supposedly reducing the political element – is quite an achievement

So, when this score was announced, what did James do?

Indeed, what is the temptation for each of us in life when we face such defeat, failure and humiliation?

Hide?

Difficult to do in a Green Room of your fellow contestants and in front of around 200 million viewers worldwide, 8M in the UK!

However, surely the right thing to do?

Not for James – on hearing his final score, he stood up and walked around the Green Room, in full view. The very example of dignity in defeat, of ‘it’s not the winning, it’s the taking part’, and of ‘when it’s too late to turn a lemon into a lemonade, enjoy that lemon’

And the room, the stadium and judging by social media, the world, admired, respected and loved him for it.

To quote Kipling

‘If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

 And treat those two impostors just the same;

 …Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

 And—which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!'

James Newman – You’re the Man!

With my love and best wishes

David

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