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Editor's note
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The Eurovision Song Contest is upon us once more, and let’s be honest, the prospect of a win for the UK faded a very long time ago. Thanks to Brexit, the fear of walking away with nil points is realer than ever. Rio Goldhammer sees defeat on the horizon, and he doesn’t like it one little bit.
If the UK is serious about surviving in the brutal competition, he says, it’s going to have to throw a bunch of cash at someone who might actually thrive in this most idiosyncratic of cultural disciplines. That means the Darkness. It means Adele. Whisper it – it might even mean Morrissey. Any of these acts could revive British fortunes if someone were bold enough to nominate them.
The recent arrival of a very rare red-winged blackbird in Orkney saw birdwatchers scrambling to charter flights to the region in the hope of catching a glimpse. Robert Lambert takes us inside the intense world of rare birding, where enthusiasts are willing to spend big to chase the feather.
Don’t forget to catch up with our new podcast, Election Weekly. We’ll be bringing you a round up of the most pressing matter from the 2017 campaign every Thursday. In the latest episode, we look at Labour’s leaked manifesto and inside Theresa May’s dustbins. And take the latest quiz to test your knowledge of the week’s happenings.
Have a happy weekend.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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Top story
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Iron Maiden at Ottawa Bluesfest in 2012.
ceedub13/flickr
Rio Goldhammer, Leeds Beckett University
For many years now the UK has been a Eurovision laughing stock, despite a wealth of pop talent. What about if it was to pick one of these sure-fire rockstar winners instead?
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Specials
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Stuart McAnulla, University of Leeds; Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University
Expert analysis of the leaked Labour party manifesto and how the parties are trying to manage their media messaging.
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Will de Freitas, The Conversation; Jeffery Uzoukwu, The Conversation
Been reading? Showcase your knowledge of the Conversation
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Environment + Energy
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Robert Lambert, University of Nottingham
Fifteen charter planes arrived in Orkney after a red-windged blackbird was spotted.
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Simon Boxall, University of Southampton
A entire beach in Ireland has returned 33 years after being washed away.
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Bridget Woodman, University of Exeter
The Conservatives claim the energy market is broken. Are they right?
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Arts + Culture
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Steven Fielding, University of Nottingham
In TV and film the British monarchy have never had it so good – it's about time something took a more sceptical eye.
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David Osbaldeston, Manchester Metropolitan University
A sense of renewal and purpose in the prize sparked by a lifting of the age limit and looking beyond London.
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Rachael Durkin, Edinburgh Napier University
The Scottish capital is reopening a well kept secret: one of the world's finest collections of vintage sound machines.
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Politics + Society
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Simon Choat, Kingston University
Both attack the status-quo, but for entirely different reasons.
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Patrick Diamond, Queen Mary University of London
Here's why you should bother paying attention to the documents published by your party this election.
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Benjamin Martill, UCL
The PM should be careful what she wishes for: a large majority isn't always a gift, especially when it comes to foreign policy.
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Rob Johns, University of Essex
Those who voted No in the indyref were never as anti-blue as is often believed.
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Health + Medicine
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Geoff Webb, University of East London
For decades, experts worried that there wasn't enough protein to feed the world's population. They were wrong.
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Pierre Chandon, INSEAD – Sorbonne Universités; Aradhna Krishna, University of Michigan; Yann Cornil, University of British Columbia
A new study shows that adding an energy drink to alcohol increases risk-taking among young people -- but the effect is imagined rather than real.
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Science + Technology
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Mark Robert Anderson, Edge Hill University
The in depth story of a student project that paved the way for a society-level shift in how we use computers.
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S Craig Roberts, University of Stirling
Move over, dogs. The latest evidence suggests humans can match most other animals when it comes to smelling – and even outperform them for certain scents.
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Business + Economy
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Agatha Herman, Cardiff University
Fairtrade was set up to support small producers - but some feel it is now missing the mark.
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Featured events
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51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom — UCL
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Performance Space, College Building, City, University of London, London, Islington, EC1V 4PB, United Kingdom — City, University of London
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University of Liverpool, Liverpool , Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom — University of Liverpool
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Centre for Medicine, Lecture Theatre 1, University Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom — University of Leicester
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