Oh I’m the same Tom - a Belfast Prod who’s travelled on an Irish passport since the 60s, has an Italian partner, 2 half-French kids & a Spanish g-daughter.
Brexit was bad for EU & catastrophic for UK but EU will rightly be very wary of letting them join.
Certainly without massive popular UK will.

The secret ballot vote was requested by Spain and seven other countries, but it was rejected by the EBU. It was not held, and that's the reason Spain, The Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia have withdrawn from the contest.

I agree with this.
I played Ophelia as a 13 year old boy, & am taking 2 of my g’children to “”Twelfth Night” by the RSC in a couple of weeks.

I’m not sure how “heterosexual” Shakespeare was. We don’t know. Same with Catullus.
I don’t think when I read literature about how nice a person the author is. If I did I’d lose Catullus, Milton, Shakespeare, Dickens, Waugh.
But thanks for your article.
We disagree, & that’s fine.

The object of “Shall I compare thee…?” was a person, either male or female (or neither).

I find the notion that a poem should include & give due attention to all involved parties pretty depressing.
I mean, would Catullus have been a better poet if he’d represented the pov if those he wrote about?
(& I’d rate him as a great poet.)
You can do other examples yourself.

Thanks for this, but I don’t really understand the criticism about what a short poem leaves out.
Do we need the tyger’s pov in “Tyger, tyger burning bright…” ?
Or the object’s pov in “Shall I compare thee…”?
(Dec of interest: was at the launch of his “11 poems” & of Marie’s 1st book.)

Excellent illustration on the Penguin cover. I must read it again.